Mariska Hargitay reflects on 'wonderful moments' with family as doctor wins big (Exclusive)

Mariska Hargitay is taking it all in.

my mom jayne“Hargitay,” Hargitay's directorial debut about her late mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, won Best First Documentary at the 10th Annual Critics' Choice Documentary Awards on November 9.

“I am so honored to be in this room and to be among so many incredible artists who inspire me so deeply,” Hargitay, 61, said in her acceptance speech. “I made this film because I wanted to understand my mother.”

In 1967, at the age of 34, Hargitay was only 3 years old when she survived a car accident that killed Mansfield. In the film, Hargitay not only has to deal with the loss of her mother, but also a delicate family history filled with secrets.

“I learned a lot on this project and I'm so grateful to HBO for their support and willingness to make this film,” Hargitay said. “I have the most incredible team. My amazing producer, Trish Adlesic, who I've known for 27 years. My editor, J.D. Marlow, who I feel like I share a soul with. And then I met this beautiful composer, Max Lichtenstein, and our producer. Everyone was so great, and it was an incredible collaboration. My motto has always been, 'The best idea wins,' and it really took a village to make this film, so I'm humbled.”

my mom jayne is filled with stunning archival footage of the prolific Mansfield, but Hargitay notes that she and Adlesik had to make smart decisions about what to make the final cut of. “There were a lot of scenes that weren't in the movie that I wanted to be in,” Hargitay told People before the critics' selection ceremony.

“I keep saying to everyone, I could have made five movies! I had so many beautiful, tender, loving, amazing moments with my family, but none of that would fit in,” she added, noting that she still has all the footage and she plans to put it to good use for her family this holiday season.

The Critics' Choice Documentary Award marked the project's first win, and Hargitay thanked those in the room who supported her in making the film through creative conversations and encouragement.

She also acknowledges the courage of telling stories, especially ones that are deeply personal.

“I'm so grateful because I never knew how this film would be received, and it's just amazing,” she said. “I knew I wanted to tell my mother's story, but it took me a long time to understand that I was the one called to tell that story and that I would be responsible for directing it and how to tell it. So in that spirit, in the spirit of this award, I say to all of us: We are called to tell our stories. No matter what, let's tell them.”

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