MARISKA HARGITAY Secrets, Shame & FORGIVENESS

THE SVU STAR EXPLORES HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HER LATE SEX SYMBOL MOTHER IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY

- By LOUISE A. BARILE

Wearing a sequined gown with a skirt in her mother's favorite hot pink color, Mariska Hargitay posed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with her husband and three children on May 17. It was a rare public family outing for the star, who closely guards the privacy of her kids, but it felt right that they should all be there to celebrate My Mother Jayne, a documentary Mariska directed about the life of her mom, actress Jayne Mansfield.

Mariska was only 3 years old when her mother died in a car accident.

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star, 61, has struggled her whole life with the scant memories she has of her sex symbol mother. In 1967, Mariska and her brothers Zoltan and Mickey Jr. survived the car accident that instantly killed their mom at age 34. “In some ways, being the daughter of a Hollywood icon has been a burden,” Mariska told Closer. “I used to hate constant references to my mom because I wanted to be known for myself. Losing my mother at such a young age is the scar of my soul.”

With few of her own memories of Jayne, Mariska turned to her mother's films, photos and interviews. At times, she felt embarrassed by what she saw. “I just wanted my mom to be like the other moms!” Mariska told Vanity Fair. “Like, Why are you always in a bathing suit? Why so much breast? I just wanted a maternal mother image.”

Mariska and hubby Peter Hermann made a rare family appearance at the Cannes Film Festival.