The photos decorating the hallway are a family gallery: toddler Mariska with her mother; the serious, big-eyed five-year-old at her father’s wedding; happy moments from her own nuptials and shots of her baby. Hargitay considers this kaleidoscope of memories. “Children, when they lose their mother, have a different antenna: ‘When will I be safe? When will I be home?’ I lost my home too early,” she says. “I’m getting it back through Peter and August, and, strangely, through the foundation. It’s about following the signs, listening to your inner voice. I’m living my life, and I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” 

Meryl Gordon profiled Mary-Louise Parker in the June 2009 issue of More.