Mariska Hargitay will reveal past secrets, new family at 'My Mom Jayne' premiere

Mariska Hargitay will reveal past secrets, new family at 'My Mom Jayne' premiere
Mariska Hargitay will introduce her extended family and "My Mom Jayne" at Tribeca Film Festival on June 13. And it's going to be big.
The "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star makes her directing debut with the powerful and poignant documentary about her late mother, actress and bombshell Jayne Mansfield. "My Mom Jayne" airs June 27 on HBO after making its world premiere at May's Cannes Film Festival in France to acclaim and global headlines.
Hargitay and her siblings, who speak about their mother for the first time on camera in the documentary, will attend the premiere at Carnegie Hall, which will conclude with a discussion featuring Hargitay.
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"I'm so excited to share this story and share my gorgeous family, these hearts and souls, with the world," Hargitay tells USA TODAY in an interview for an upcoming profile. "My family is coming in and I can't wait to hold them. Because we have been through something together."
Which family members appear in Mariska Hargitay's documentary 'My Mom Jayne'?
Hargitay goes on a journey to rediscover her famous mother, who died in 1967 at age 34 in a car crash that has become the tragic fodder of Hollywood legend. Hargitay, 3 at the time, survived the horrific crash along with her two brothers, but has no memories of her mother.
In "My Mom Jayne," Hargitay speaks with her older brothers from Mansfield's marriage to bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay − Mickey Jr. and Zoltan − as well as older half-sister Jayne Marie Mansfield (from Jayne's first marriage to Paul Mansfield).
The family discusses memories of their mother and life in Mansfield's famed Pink Palace home on Sunset Boulevard, which featured a heart-shaped pool and exotic animals. To complete one family circle, the documentary features Hargitay's youngest half-sibling, Anthony Cimber, from Mansfield's brief marriage to her third husband, Italian director Matt Cimber.
Just speaking with the famous family for the first time on camera about the life and death of the complex and misunderstood Mansfield, as well as discussing devoted father Hargitay, would make for a compelling documentary.
But there's much more to "My Mom Jayne."
'My Mom Jayne' reveals a secret about Jayne Mansfield that Mariska Hargitay kept for 30 years
Most headlines surrounding the documentary have centered on the revelation about Hargitay's biological father, which the actress kept secret for more than three decades.
In 1963, Mansfield became romantically involved with singer Nelson Sardelli amid her divorce from Mickey Hargitay. Mansfield and Hargitay reconciled late in 1963, and Mariska was born in January 1964. The actress has always called Hargitay, who lovingly raised her after Mansfield's death, "my rock." (Mickey Hargitay, who died in 2006, even guest-starred on a Season 5 episode of "SVU" with his famous daughter.)
However, in the documentary, Hargitay discusses her life-altering discovery that Sardelli was her biological father and recounts her decision to dramatically confront the singer in Atlantic City 30 years ago. There were Hollywood whispers that Sardelli was Hargitay's father, including a mention in a tell-all book about Mansfield written by her former publicist, Rusty Strait (who is also interviewed). But Hargitay and Sardelli came to terms and agreed to keep silent. Until now.
Hargitay has remained quietly close to Sardelli and his daughters Giovanna and Pietra, from his marriage to Fledia, his wife of 47 years. Sardelli and Hargitay's newly revealed half-sisters all appear in "My Mom Jayne" and are expected to attend the Tribeca premiere.
The revelation of these relationships has been freeing to Hargitay.
The "SVU" veteran concedes it was a sometimes "bumpy road to get here. But it has paid off. Once you open the door and shed a bit of light on something, the beauty that comes from the scariest places is extraordinary."
Even before heading to the premiere with her family, Hargitay feels relieved that the secret is out.
"I feel like this 1,000-pound weight has been lifted," she says. "There's this sense of integration and peace about it. There are all these beautiful heartstrings that connect our hearts together. I'm just taking in the moment now."
Who else will attend the Tribeca premiere of 'My Mom Jayne'?
Hargitay's husband of more than two decades, actor Peter Hermann, will attend. The couple met on the set of "Law & Order: SVU" and have three children: Miklós Friedrich, Amaya Josephine and Andrew Nicolas.
"SVU" stars Ice-T and Christopher Meloni will also support their co-star, along with celebrities including Jon Hamm, Carrie-Anne Moss and Brooke Shields.
Where can I stream 'My Mom Jayne'?
"My Mom Jayne" airs June 27 on HBO (8 EST/PST) and will stream on HBO Max.

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CBS News

22 minutes ago

• CBS News

Patrick Schwarzenegger on his breakout "White Lotus" role

"Every time I'm out in, like, nature, that's kind of where I like to do my prayers or gratitude list," said Patrick Schwarzenegger. These days he is counting his blessings, even though the role he was recently blessed with is anything but reverent. He plays the much-talked-about (and much-hated) Saxon Ratliff, the eldest son of a wealthy family visiting Thailand, in the latest incarnation of HBO's "The White Lotus." Saxon is a chiseled car crash – a sex-obsessed, protein shake-chugging bro who is so irredeemably into his own masculinity, he offends even his own sister. How do you even audition for a part like that? Schwarzenegger says he was only given a short sentence describing Saxon's excitable personality: "The wording was that ''He flirted with anything.' So, I just took the first few seconds and just kind of, you know, stared at the camera in a loving way." Did he have any reservations? "Yes, I was worried," he said. "I didn't want him to come off as just this one-note character." And early on he didn't even know yet just how sexually awkward things were going to get. "When I was auditioning, they had said, 'Are you okay with, know, performing things sexually? Are you okay being nude at times?'" Schwarzenegger recalled. "So, I knew an idea of where it could go. I didn't know to what extent the show would go." To watch a trailer for Season 3 of "The White Lotus," click on the video player below: The series' creator, Mike White, has spent three seasons pushing the envelope, writing exotic whodunits that, along the way, skewer the rich and privileged vacationing at White Lotus resorts all around the world – a world he knew Patrick probably understood. Schwarzenegger said, "There was a joke because he was always like, 'You don't look like you're rich. You're not walking rich. Aren't you a Schwarzenegger? Aren't you a Kennedy? Aren't you rich in real life? You don't look like you're rich at all!'" The show's first season, set in Hawaii, debuted during the pandemic in 2021, and it hit Schwarzenegger and his family head-on. "It was me, Abby, my fiancée, and my mom," he said. "We lived together, us three, during the pandemic. So, you can imagine how fun that was! And then they were always like, 'You need to be in the show, you need to audition, this is perfect.'" His fiancée is fashion model Abby Champion; his mom is journalist and member of the Kennedy clan Maria Shriver; and his dad, well, that goes without saying. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that he didn't recognize his son in the role. "It would be a little bit alarming if he did recognize a lot of those characteristics!" Patrick laughed. His best friends are his family. They're also his greatest fans. When he got the part, they were tears all around. Patrick Schwarzenegger has emerged from "The White Lotus," as a standout among standouts – the kind of breakout he hopes will put to rest any suspicions about nepotism. In a recent father-and-son chat on Variety's "Actors on Actors," Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "To me, the name Schwarzenegger always meant a big plus." Patrick revealed that he worried his name might get in the way: "There were times earlier in my career where I was wondering, Does it makes sense to go under some sort of alias? Does it make sense to go under a different name?" "Well, I'm glad that you kept the name, 'cause now I can take credit," Arnold said. "My son! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Patrick idolized his dad growing up, spending time on movie sets that became his playground. By the time he was 13, he was on his own sets, but he says he rarely brought up his dad. "I mean, I always know that there's, you know, my last name, there's connections, there's, you know, things that are gonna help me, but I wanted to try to take a different path than that." He did, however, follow his dad's path on matters of money – how to run a business, how to create a brand. "My dad put me in charge of his memorabilia when I was 10," said Patrick. "And so, I would take these different photos of him, you know, at Muscle Beach, and we would frame them. I took a replica of the Conan swords and get him to sign them, and I would sell them for $10,000 a pop. It was all for nonprofit. I didn't make any money, but it was to understand how to sell." He actually majored in business as USC, starting college just about a year after his parents had left the California Governor's office. Politics has been in his genes, after all – and so has the idea of public service. His grandfather, Sargent Shriver, was the founding director of the Peace Corps. His grandmother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics. Asked if he's thought about going into politics himself, Patrick replied, "I think it was instilled in us to find ways to give back at an early age. It doesn't have to be through public office, to find ways to give back." Through it all, his focus on acting remained pretty singular. He spent a decade in acting class, building a resume one part at a time, recently acting opposite Colin Firth in the HBO mini-series, "The Staircase." That, he said, "was the first time that the people in the industry were able to see me in a dramatic role. ... Before, people maybe didn't take me serious. They didn't know if I was really, you know, in it for the long haul, was I really working on my craft?" WATCH: "The White Lotus" clip: Saxon and Timothy In this scene, Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger) demands to know from his dad, Timothy (Jason Isaacs) whether everything is OK at the office. [Spoiler alert: Everything is NOT OK at the office.] He hopes his next role will be a character with a few less character flaws than Saxon Ratliff. That said, Patrick Schwarzenegger would happily check back into the White Lotus anytime Mike White asks. "I said, if you don't hire me again, I'll come and be the head of craft services," he said. "I'll come and hire me as your scouting location guy because I just want to come in and be part of the journey." For more info: Story produced by Reid Orvedahl. Editor: Lauren Barnello. See also:

Business Insider

an hour ago

• Business Insider

11 historic mansions from HBO's 'The Gilded Age' that you can visit in real life

HBO's "The Gilded Age" films scenes in real historic mansions from the time period. Several mansions once owned by the Vanderbilt family in Newport, Rhode Island, appear in the show. Gilded Age mansions in Tarrytown and Sands Point, New York, also serve as film sets for the series. If you weren't an heiress, coal magnate, or railroad tycoon, you probably wouldn't have made the guest list at Gilded Age parties. Those gatherings were reserved for the wealthiest, most powerful members of society at the turn of the 20th century. However, visitors of all economic brackets can visit many of the historic opulent estates that serve as film sets for HBO's show " The Gilded Age." The show shoots at real mansions from the time period, many of which are now museums, to create authentic portrayals of the characters' exorbitant wealth. Season three of "The Gilded Age" premieres June 22 on HBO. Here are 11 Gilded Age mansions where the show filmed that offer tours of their magnificent properties. Rosecliff, a 30-room mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, was modeled after King Louis XIV's Grand Trianon palace in Versailles. Theresa "Tessie" Fair Oelrichs, whose family's silver fortune earned her the nickname "Bonanza Heiress," built Rosecliff in 1902 as her summer home. Admission to tours of the 28,800-square-foot property can be purchased through the Preservation Society of Newport County. Fans of "The Gilded Age" will recognize the ceiling of Rosecliff's ballroom from the show's opening credits. Rosecliff features the largest private ballroom in Newport, measuring 40 feet by 80 feet. Scenes from "The Great Gatsby," "27 Dresses," and "Amistad" have also been filmed there. One of the grandest Gilded Age mansions in Newport, the Breakers spans 138,300 square feet and belonged to one of the era's wealthiest families. Cornelius Vanderbilt II, heir to his grandfather's railroad fortune, built the Breakers as a summer home in 1895. The name "Breakers" comes from the sound of waves breaking against the shores of the Newport property. The Preservation Society of Newport County manages the mansion as a museum. Tours can be booked online. Several rooms in the Breakers were used as film sets for "The Gilded Age," including the music room and the billiard room. The billiard room features a wrought-iron and bronze lighting fixture so heavy that it had to be attached to the structural beams of the home. In a scene in "The Gilded Age," George Russell played a game of billiards in the room after a dinner party. The music room also served as a film set for "The Gilded Age," appearing as the Russells' ballroom where they hosted Gladys' debut ball at the end of season one. Marble House in Newport was a 39th birthday present from William K. Vanderbilt to his then-wife, Alva, in 1892. Marble House is named for the 500,000 cubic feet of marble featured throughout the home. When Alva Vanderbilt divorced her husband in 1895, she maintained ownership of Marble House and custody of their three children. She then married one of her neighbors, Oliver H.P. Belmont, in 1896, and became Alva Belmont. After his death, she leveraged her fortune to fund causes in the women's suffrage movement and hosted suffrage conventions at Marble House. The Preservation Society of Newport County operates tours of the property. In "The Gilded Age," scenes in George Russell's bedroom are filmed in the room that belonged to Alva and William's daughter, Consuelo Vanderbilt. ​​Chateau-sur-Mer in Newport was originally built by merchant William Shepard Wetmore in 1852, then remodeled by his son in the 1870s. George Wetmore, who inherited the Italianate-style villa when his father died in 1862, served as the governor of Rhode Island and as a US senator representing the state. Tours of the home are available through the Preservation Society of Newport County. Rooms at ​​Chateau-sur-Mer that appear in "The Gilded Age" include the stair hall and the dining room. Chateau-sur-Mer appears in the show as the home of Mamie Fish, who hosted a doll tea party in the first season. The stair hall is painted with the biblical Tree of Life, and the dining room walls are decorated with wallpaper made of Spanish leather covered in silver. Gilded Age coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind and his wife, Sarah Herminie Berwind, built The Elms in Newport in 1901. The Elms was modeled after the 18th-century French château, Château d'Asnières, and furnished with custom Louis XV-style furniture. The mansion sits on a 10-acre estate, where the Berwinds used to host lavish parties. The Preservation Society of Newport County operates tours of the lavish home. The show films in Sarah Herminie Berwind's bedroom and the mansion's main kitchen. Sarah Herminie Berwind's bedroom appears as Gladys Russell's room in "The Gilded Age," and the main kitchen serves as the Russell family's kitchen where servants gossip and prepare meals. Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, was owned by three prominent Gilded Age families: the Pauldings, the Merritts, and the Goulds. Former New York City Mayor William Paulding and his wife, real-estate heiress Maria Rhinelander Paulding, built the mansion in 1842. Merchant George Merritt bought Lyndhurst Mansion in 1864 and built an addition onto the home, doubling its square footage to 14,000 square feet. Railroad tycoon Jay Gould then purchased it in 1880. In the world of "The Gilded Age," the mansion is home to the characters of Charles and Aurora Fane. "The Gilded Age" has filmed scenes in Lyndhurst Mansion's parlor, dining room, and art gallery. The show also uses the mansion's carriage house as the offices of The New York Globe newspaper and its 67-acre grounds as a stand-in for Central Park. The Hempstead House at Sands Point Preserve on Long Island was built in 1912 by financier Howard Gould. Howard Gould, son of the aforementioned Jay Gould, only lived at Hempstead House for a few years before selling it to Daniel and Florence Guggenheim in 1917. Daniel was the brother of Solomon Guggenheim, for whom the Manhattan museum is named, and Benjamin Guggenheim, who died on the Titanic. Hempstead House is located within Sands Point Preserve, which is open to the public and contains three mansions that can be toured. Tickets for a guided tour of Hempstead House can be purchased at the park's welcome center. You may recognize this room as George Russell's office. George Russell conducted many of his business dealings in this room at Hempstead House, now the home's library. "The Gilded Age" isn't the only project to have filmed here. You may also have seen Hempstead House in "Malcolm X," the 1998 adaptation of "Great Expectations," or "Scent of a Woman." Hunter House was originally built in 1748. Hunter House actually dates back to the colonial times, generations before the Gilded Age began. It even played a role in the Revolutionary War as the headquarters for the French fleet, per The Preservation Society of Newport County. Keeping Hunter House in good shape led to the creation of the Preservation Society in 1945, per the Society's website. There are guided tours held daily (excluding Sundays and Mondays) from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On the show, one of the sitting rooms is used as lawyer Tom Raikes' office. In the show, Raikes' office is in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It's one of the first non-New York City locations we see on the show. Belcourt was built in 1894 for the socialite Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont in Rhode Island. This 50,000-square-feet, 60-room summer home was modeled after King Louis XIII's hunting lodge at Versailles. The property was known for its extensive stables and carriage space, which makes sense: You may recognize his last name from the Belmont Stakes, the annual horse race in Elmont, New York, that was named for his father, August Belmont Sr. Belcourt is open for both guided tours during the day and candlelight walks and ghost tours in the evenings. The property doubles as the summer home of the Astors on "The Gilded Age." In a memorable moment in season one, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) ends up sneaking around Belcourt (Beechwood, in the show) to avoid a run-in with Mrs. Astor. Westbrook, home of New York attorney and real-estate developer William Bayard Cutting, is located in Oakdale, New York. Westbrook was built in 1886 in the Tudor Revival style. Inside, there are 60 rooms (and 20 fireplaces). Westbrook's main draw, though, is its gardens. The house is now located inside the Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park, which is home to 691 acres of plants, trails, and more. There are separate guided tours of the arboretum and Westbrook available seasonally. There's also the Hidden Oak Café, which is located inside Westbrook and offers the option to take "Victorian Tea," complete sandwiches, scones, and tea. It was used during season one of the show. The Cuttings were part of the famed "Four Hundred" list, which was published by The New York Times in the 1890s. It named the 400 most socially acceptable people living in New York City. So, even though only their house has popped up on the show, the real Cutting family could too. The Glenview Mansion was built in the 1870s in Yonkers, a city in Westchester County, New York. It was built for the financier John Bond Trevor, who was partners with James Boorman Colgate (yes, of those Colgates). After the Trevors sold the home to the city of Yonkers, it became part of the Hudson River Museum, which is still open today. The interior of Glenview was used as the interior of Mrs. Astor's home.

USA Today

2 hours ago

• USA Today

'Elio' star Zoe Saldaña lives for winning 'cool mom points' with her kids

How does Zoe Saldaña follow up an Academy Award win? By starring in a Pixar animated movie. Her kids think one is cooler than the other, and it might not be the one you expect. 'Definitely winning an Oscar, because they're playing soccer right now,' Saldaña says. 'They're like, 'Mom! Oscar is like the World Cup!' And then my third son was like, 'What? You got it for supporting actress, right?' And I'm just like, 'Oh, Zen. Thank you for keeping me on my toes.' 'But they're always proud of the fact that I'm making an effort in wanting to cater to films that they can watch right now.' Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox Saldaña has starred in big franchises like 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 'Avatar' but also stayed busy in the animation space, with roles in the 'Maya and the Three' miniseries, 'Missing Link,' 'My Little Pony: The Movie' and now Pixar's 'Elio.' Saldaña voices Olga Solis, the aunt and guardian of an 11-year-old boy named Elio (Yonas Kibreab) who wishes he could be abducted by aliens and is picked up by a spaceship full of colorful creatures. The "Emilia Pérez" star always wants her sons – twins Cy and Bowie, 10, and Zen, 8 – to be proud of her, and 'my kids are absolutely revelations to me every single day,' Saldaña says. 'They're my biggest teachers. And obviously I say that behind their backs. I never want them to feel completely responsible for my growth, but they are teaching me a lot by just growing around me and evolving and setting their boundaries and claiming their space and revealing themselves to themselves.' By being in stories that appeal to younger audiences, 'it just contributes to my deeper education on wanting to know how to be a better mom to my kids,' she adds. 'I just want to be cool for a longer time than possible. In my mind, I feel like that this gives me cool mom points.' Her character in 'Elio,' though, has to figure out how to be a mom. Olga is an Air Force major who's put her dreams of being an astronaut on hold to care for her nephew, and they struggle to get along. When Elio gets beamed up to space and goes on his adventures there, a clone Elio is sent back to Earth to take his place. And this one, Elio 2.0, is agreeable, generally compliant and overall 'too perfect,' Saldaña says. 'That sounds in theory like a perfect Mother's Day, where the mom has a yes day,' Saldaña says. 'Can I make you some broccoli with that? Yes. Do you want to pick up after yourself? Absolutely. But if that were to happen in reality in my life, I would be like at the hospital with my kids, like there's something wrong with my child. Why he's saying yes to everything I'm proposing?! 'With Olga, even though everything on the surface was fine, something was unsettling. That woke up that maternal instinct in her to, to really say, 'OK, I may not understand my kid, but I love my kid so much so that I know when he's off, I know when he's not being himself.' ' Saldaña, who next stars in "Avatar: Fire and Ash" (in theaters Dec. 19), enjoys collaborating with kids on movie projects. 'It's shorter work hours when you work with children,' she says. 'You don't have to do those long 14-hour days. If all your scenes are with that child, you get to go home when they go home and I kind of love that. 'It's easier for me to work with other kids than to work with my own. I can't really imagine ever being able to work with my own kids because I wouldn't be able to separate being their mom at all times.' A couple of Saldaña's sons have expressed some interest in acting. She and husband Marco Perego 'would support our children if this is what they would want to pursue," Saldaña says. "But so far, the moment we go, 'Well, come on, let's wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning, let's get on the road for two hours, let's memorize these 10 pages,' they're like, 'Uh, I don't think so.' '