Discuss two recent autobiographical works (one memoir and one film) that explore the intersection of family life, public personas, social history, and personal identity for women living and working in the entertainment industry. Jennette McCurdy’s memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, is an unflinching, heartbreaking, often hilarious account of her struggles as a former child actor and her complicated relationship with her overbearing, deeply flawed mother. As a performer on Nickelodeon TV during the early 2000s, McCurdy’s story sheds light on the darker side of the entertainment business, as well as her personal journey toward finding her own voice and emotional stability as a young adult. In contrast, actress Mariska Hargitay grew up during the 1960s and 1970s and never got to know her famous mother, actress and Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield, who died in a car crash when Mariska was 3 years old. Hargitay’s cinematic investigation, the new documentary film My Mom Jayne, explores Mansfield’s on-screen and private personas and navigates emotional recollections and buried family truths to reclaim what has been painfully lost.
Please Note: McCurdy’s memoir is available in printed or Kindle versions and as an audio book narrated by the author. My Mom Jayne is available on the HBO/Max streaming platform.
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