The actress/producer revealed that she began to dive into her mother Jayne Mansfield’s complicated history during the pandemic.

Mariska Hargitay has been on “Law & Order: SVU” since the beginning in 1999. That’s 26 seasons with a 27th on the way. It remains a ratings winner in no small part due to Hargitay’s continued presence as Captain Olivia Benson, a role that has won her both an Emmy and a Golden Globe, among other honors. To make her recent documentary (and feature directorial debut) “My Mom Jayne,” which dropped on HBO Max last month, Hargitay channeled her inner “SVU” character Olivia Benson.

Mariska Hargitay interviewed by Molly John-Fast at HamptonsFilm Summer Doc series

Jessica Dalene Weber

Hargitay’s Benson — who helps fictionalized victims reckon with their abusers weekly — helped her prepare for the emotional process of making the documentary, which explores her relationship with mother… or rather the lack thereof, since her mom Jayne Mansfield died when Hargitay was only three years old.

“I used to say that vulnerability is my superpower, because, you know, everyone’s like, ‘Oh… you’re badass, you’re so this, you’re so tough.’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m just like everyone else. I just feel the fear do it anyway,” Hargitay said during talkback after a “My Mom Jayne” screening the HamptonsFilm Summer Docs series. “And I feel most connected to others in their vulnerability, in our shared humanity. And so from telling survivors to share their stories and… asking them to share and get through the other side, I think there’s so much healing in having someone bear witness to your story. You immediately are not alone anymore.”

Hargitay was raised by her dad, Mickey Hargitay, but found out years later that he was actually not her biological father (who was actually Brazilian-Italian singer Nelson Sardelli). She attempted to run away from her mother’s sexualized image, embarrassed by what Mariska felt was reductive. In the documentary, viewers watch Hargitay go on a journey of discovery that allows her to see her mother in a more holistic light.

It was during the pandemic that Hargitay first began to feel truly connected to her mom, she explained. She even began having birthday parties for her — though Mansfield died in 1967 at only 34 years old.

“[Making the documentary] was a cathartic experience. It is something that I’ve been wanting, thinking about for so long, but sort of scared to tackle. And during the pandemic, I just got clarity and… it became so clear that I was ready to do this,” she said in the HamptonsFilm interview, which was conducted by Molly Jong-Fast, who just released her own mom-focused memoir “How To Lose Your Mother.”

Hargitay spent the pandemic-forced “SVU” hiatus sitting and thinking about Mansfield. “I had time to… literally open boxes. It was a time of going inside,” she related.