Mariska Hargitay and Jamie Lee Curtis share a deeply personal connection rooted in Hollywood history, but their friendship only recently began to take shape. In a conversation on Variety’s “Actors on Actors,” the two award-winning daughters of screen legends reflected on family legacies, career milestones, and the emotional discovery of a bond they describe as sisterhood. Hargitay is the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, the iconic 1950s star whose complicated life and tragic death are explored in Hargitay’s HBO documentary “My Mom Jayne,” which is in Emmy consideration. Curtis is the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, and her career has stretched across horror, comedy, and television, from “Halloween” and “Trading Places” to “Freaky Friday” and “The Bear.”
The discussion centered on how their shared backgrounds, once separated by distance and circumstance, became a source of understanding. Curtis recalled that Hargitay grew up in a pink house on Sunset Boulevard once connected to the Curtis family, and that the two had even been photographed together there as children. Yet after that, they lost contact for years. Hargitay said that reconnecting felt like recovering a missing part of her life, especially because Curtis immediately understood the emotional weight of making a film about one’s mother while also wrestling with private family truths.
Hargitay described the making of “My Mom Jayne” as a deeply personal process that involved revisiting her mother’s storage unit and confronting long-held secrets about her own family history, including the identity of her birth father. Curtis responded with empathy, calling the documentary raw, human, and deeply moving. Hargitay praised Curtis not only as a performer but as a compassionate listener whose perspective made the film feel seen. Curtis, in turn, said their lives are tied together by the strange intimacy of celebrity families and the public scrutiny that often comes with them.
The two actresses also discussed their work as artists and the significance of women leading major productions. Hargitay spoke about how important it is that “Law & Order: SVU” now has a female showrunner and other women in key creative positions. Curtis noted that both women, now over 60, are working in projects led by female leadership, and she connected that to the broader question of women’s power in entertainment. Hargitay said that being on stage for the first time in her new play, “Every Brilliant Thing,” is a long-held dream and a welcome chance to step outside the role of Olivia Benson, the character she has played for 27 years.
Curtis praised Hargitay’s impact on “SVU,” calling her the emotional center of the series and recognizing her advocacy for abuse survivors. Hargitay, meanwhile, admired Curtis’ layered work in “The Bear,” especially her intense performance in the episode “Ice Chips.” Their exchange moved easily between humor, memory, and admiration, showing how two women shaped by famous families have built a real bond through shared experience, artistic respect, and mutual support.
