Mariska Hargitay Knows Loss And Longing
5/28/202636 min
Mariska Hargitay was three when she survived the car crash that killed her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield. She talks with Anderson Cooper about her search to know her mother, and heal the pain of her past. For more of “All There Is with Anderson Cooper” visit cnn.com/allthereis.
Host: Anderson Cooper Showrunner: Haley Thomas Producers: Emily Williams and Kyra Dahring Video Editor: Eric Zembrzuski Technical Director: Dan Dzula Bookers: Kerry Rubin and Kari Pricher
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAnderson Cooper· Host0:00
[gentle music] I started this podcast four years ago going through old boxes of things my mom and dad and brother left behind when they died. They're still in my basement. It's been a while since I've tried to sort through them, but like many of you, the pain of the past is never far away.
Mariska Hargitay· Guest0:17
When I was six years old, I lost my mother.
Anderson Cooper· Host0:19
Many of you have left voicemails from long ago losses that still echo in your lives today.
Mariska Hargitay· Guest0:25
My baby brother died at birth. The grief's affected me my whole life.
Anderson Cooper· Host0:29
53 years ago, my four and a half year old brother, Scott, died.
Mariska Hargitay· Guest0:33
I have been living with grief for over 40 years.
Speaker 3· Soundbite0:35
A long time. My dad died about 24 years ago, and I have never really dealt with it, never really known- I realize that my brother's death keeps surfacing in my thoughts. Everything looks outdoors, but underneath there's pain that never really goes away.
Anderson Cooper· Host0:46
As Ken Burns said on an earlier podcast, the half-life of grief is endless. Mariska Hargitay knows that very well.
Speaker 3· Soundbite0:53
[tense music] Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay have just left this American Airlines plane. A huge crowd has gathered.
Anderson Cooper· Host1:04
Mariska's mom, actress Jayne Mansfield, died when she was three. She was raised by her father, Hungarian actor and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay.
Speaker 3· Soundbite1:12
Today she was signed to a long-term movie contract by 20th Century Fox. At the moment, she is also the most photographed woman in show business.
Anderson Cooper· Host1:25
Jayne Mansfield was killed in a car crash in 1967.