Overview

• The documentary premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to standing ovations and screened at Tribeca before its June 27 release on HBO and Max.
• Hargitay combines archival footage with interviews featuring her siblings, stepmother Ellen Hargitay and biological father Nelson Sardelli to explore Jayne Mansfield’s private and public life.
• The film publicly confirms a long-held family secret by revealing that Sardelli, not Mickey Hargitay, is Mariska’s biological father.
• Before finalizing the project, Hargitay sought her siblings’ blessing and later held an intimate private screening where they watched together, held hands and shared tears.
• In recent interviews, Hargitay described her feature directorial debut as a journey of healing that reshaped her understanding of identity and family legacy.