'A Missing Piece Of My Life': Mariska Hargitay & Jamie Lee Curtis Are True Hollywood BFFs

Jamie Lee Curtis and Mariska Hargitay have a lot in common. They're two of the most accomplished women in Hollywood. Hargitay is an Emmy winner for her role as Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and was named the host of the 2026 Emmys in addition to being nominated for one for directing and producing a documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield. Curtis is an Oscar winner known for her roles in buzzy comedies like "Freaky Friday" and has also won an Emmy for her work in "The Bear." Both of their mothers were also Hollywood icons — Mansfield had her breakout role in "The Girl Can't Help It," and Curtis' mother, Janet Leigh, was nominated for her role in the 1960 horror film "Psycho. " 

They grew up in Los Angeles and met briefly as children when Curtis' father, actor Tony Curtis, bought a house next door to Hargitay's family home, they told Variety for Actors on Actors. Despite their similarities, Curtis and Hargitay's paths never met as adults working in the industry until 2024 or 2025, when Hargitay was in production for "My Mom Jayne." They were introduced by a mutual friend, and the rest is history.

Hargitay said the first phone call with Curtis felt like "a missing piece of my life" was found. She revealed that the conversation was emotional because they've had such unique but similar journeys that "people just can't understand it unless they've lived it." She went on to call the "Scarpetta" star "one of the most deeply sensitive, empathetic, and compassionate humans that I've met."

In the Variety conversation, Jamie Lee Curtis and Mariska Hargitay described their first in-person meeting as adults at the "Halloween" star's house. They ate lemon cake and bonded over their childhoods. But Curtis also pointed out to Hargitay that they have similar approaches to their work in front of and behind the camera. "But you are the fu—– heartbeat of ["Law & Order: SVU"]. That entire machine is driven by you," she began. "At the center of the work is you also as a humanitarian, you as an advocate for women who've been abused." That type of deep connection to art and mission lingers for some people when they leave set. 

"You also wear it outside of work; I wear it outside of work. It's part of the other sisterhood of caring," Curtis continued. An example of this is Hargitay's Joyful Heart Foundation, which supports survivors of sexual assault. After years of advocacy in collaboration with other organizations, Hargitay's organization was instrumental in helping enact rape kit reform in all 50 states. Curtis has a history of supporting Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.  

The term "sisterhood of caring" also relates to caring for people out loud, like Curtis did watching "My Mom Jayne" and seeing Hargitay's husband, Peter Hermann, present her with her mom's piano after a previous owner of her childhood home wouldn't sell it. "I let out a sound in that theater that was like a wounded water buffalo," she said. "I dropped to the ground in the theater and was sobbing." She joked that Hermann ruined romance for every other woman with the gift.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).