Inventing Anna has split opinion; from questioning the accent to choosing a favourite character. Now, actor Katie Lowes has responded to questions over whether you're meant to warm to Anna Delvey's friend Rachel.
The Netflix adaptation tells the story of socialite Anna Sorokin/Delvey, who conned New York's elite into believing she was an heiress worth billions. One of her victims was Rachel, a Vanity Fair picture editor, who lost $62,000 (£45,554) to her former friend's scams during a trip to Morocco, when Anna's credit card was declined.
Social media viewers have been torn over their opinion of Rachel; some have questioned why she so easily accepted gifts, holidays and a luxury lifestyle from Anna, while others have shared their pity for her getting in over her head.
Now, Katie Lowes, the actor who played Rachel, has shared what she thinks. "I think viewers are supposed to be..." she told Cosmopolitan UK. "The cool thing about this whole show is that Shonda's treating the audience like they're really smart people and you have to figure it out for yourselves.
"You have no idea who's the antihero, who's the villain, or who's right and who's wrong. It's playing in this grey area the whole time, especially with Rachel," Katie added.
The actor also admitted she didn't make any contact with the real Rachel DeLoache Williams at all. "I did a lot of research, but I did not read her book [My Friend, Anna] and I did not read her [Vanity Fair] article. I went on her Instagram and I looked at a bunch of videos she had done for different press events. After that, I really dove into the script.
"I have not had any contact with Rachel whatsoever. I didn't talk to her at all during this project - not before, not during, and I haven't spoken to her now. But I send her a lot of love."
The real Rachel has also spoken out to slam the show, telling the Vanity Fair newsletter, "This show is playing a fine line – peddling it as a true story, but also [in the title sequence disclaimer] saying, 'except all the parts that aren't. At what point is the half-truth more dangerous than the lie?"
Inventing Anna is available on Netflix.
