The Inventing Anna cast compared to their real-life counterparts
The Netflix series follows the true story of New York con woman Anna Delvey
Netflix's Inventing Anna tells the true story of Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin), the fake billionaire Russian-German heiress who tricked New York's wealthiest socialites into believing a lie, defrauding more than $200,000 along the way. And it's safe to say we're gripped by the series.
After eventually being caught out, Anna appeared in court in 2019 and was sentenced to between four and 12 years in prison, found guilty of grand larceny and theft of services - with Inventing Anna following how it all went down.
Inspired the New York magazine article 'How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People' by journalist Jessica Pressler, Inventing Anna follows journalist 'Vivian' as she investigates Anna's story, while the con woman herself awaits trial. The big question underneath it all: who is Anna Delvey?
Take a look at the real-life people behind the Inventing Anna characters...
Anna Delvey, played by Julia Garner
Julia Garner, best known for playing Ruth Langmore in Ozark, stars as the titular Anna Delvey/Sorokin in Inventing Anna.
Speaking about the series, she previously told Buzzfeed News, "It's been very fun playing this part, and it's been very challenging."
"It's definitely a hard part. It's very complex," she added. "The accent is crazy, I will give you that, because she's from Germany and Russia. It's been a good process."
Anna Delvey/Sorokin in real life
The con woman at the centre of it all: originally from Russia, Anna Sorokin moved to New York in 2013, creating the fictional identity of 'Anna Delvey'. Pretending to be a German heiress with a $60 million trust fund, she lived in luxury and tricked wealthy New York socialites into believing her identity.
Of course, it was all a lie and Anna was eventually found guilty of defrauding hotels, restaurants, a private jet operator and banks out of more than $200,000, and sentenced to to four to 12 years in prison.
Vivian Kent, played by Anna Chlumsky
Anna Chlumsky, best known for her role as Amy in Veep, plays Vivian, a journalist working on breaking the story on Anna's scams. However, "the more Vivian pursues the truth about Anna, the more attached to Anna she becomes," according to Netflix.
Vivian is thought to be based off of real-life journalist Jessica Pressler, who wrote the New York magazine article 'How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People' which the show is based on.
Jessica Pressler in real life
The real-life Jessica Pressler wrote the original New Yorker article that Inventing Anna is based on, and she's also a producer on the series. Pressler herself isn't a character in the show, but the fictional journalist Vivian is thought to be based on her.
This isn't Pressler's first time having an article adapted for the screen, either. Her 2019 article 'The Hustlers at Scores' was turned into the film Hustlers starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, and we're sure Inventing Anna is going to be just as amazing.
Todd Spodek, played by Arian Moayed
Arian Moayed, known for playing Stewy Hosseini in Succession, stars as Anna's fast-talking lawyer Todd Spodek. He might be representing Anna, but Todd has his own motives in the series, hoping the case will earn him more respect in the legal world.
Todd Spodek in real life
Real-life lawyer Todd Spodek appeared beside Anna in court during her 2019 trial.
In his closing statement in court, Spodek compared Anna to Frank Sinatra, telling jurors, "Sinatra made a brand-new start of it in New York, just as Miss Sorokin did," adding, "Every day you hear about people risking it all for business, taking chances, taking advantages of opportunity, isn’t that what Miss Sorokin did?" according to The New York Post. However, Anna was of course ultimately found guilty.
Rachel, played by Katie Lowes
Best known for her long-time role as Quinn Perkins in Scandal, Katie Lowes stars as Rachel in Inventing Anna, Anna Delvey's friend who ends up in trouble at the hands of the fake heiress.
The character is thought to be based on Rachel DeLoache Williams, a friend of Anna's who was left paying thousands after a trip with the con woman, and later wrote the book My Friend Anna telling the full story.
Rachel DeLoache Williams in real life
The real-life Rachel is thought to be Rachel DeLoache Williams, an ex-Vanity Fair picture editor who befriended Anna, but was left paying a $62,000 bill after the pair took a fateful trip to Morocco together.
Rachel revealed her side of the story in a Vanity Fair article, detailing what happened on the trip and how she realised Anna was a "con artist". She later published her book My Friend Anna, revealing how she believed Anna's lies before helping the police to track her down.
Kacy Duke, played by Laverne Cox
Orange Is The New Black star Laverne Cox plays the role of Kacy Duke, a celebrity trainer and life coach to Anna. She gets sucked into the heiress' world but somehow manages to keep herself out of real trouble, though she does join Anna and Rachel in Morocco.
Kacy Duke in real life
Celebrity fitness trainer Kacy Duke was hired by Anna in real life for personal workout sessions. She joined Anna and Rachel on their blowout trip to Morocco, but a few months after the trip she reportedly staged an intervention to get to the bottom of what Anna was really up to.
Neff Davis, played by Alexis Floyd
Alexis Floyd, who played Tia in The Bold Type, stars as Neff, an aspiring filmmaker whose job as a hotel concierge means she knows everything about New York and the people in it. She's thought to be based off of the real-life Neff Davis, who PAPER called "Anna Delvey's only friend in New York".
Neff Davis in real life
The real-life Neffatari Davis did indeed work at the concierge desk of the luxury New York hotel 11 Howard, where Anna stayed for months (dodging the bill, of course). The pair became friends, and Neff quickly found herself sucked into Anna's world, with Anna treating her to expensive meals, clothes and more.
Speaking about their friendship, Neff told PAPER in an exclusive interview, "At the end of the day, yes, she did what she did, but people are not buying the story because she's a thief; they're buying it because she got away with it. She's my friend, but I don't know the Anna that everyone else does. So I guess I got a piece of Anna that no one else really saw."
Chase Sikorski, played by Saamer Usmani
Saamer Usmani, who appeared briefly as Chris in Succession, plays Anna Delvey's boyfriend, Chase Sikorski. We see the entrepreneur working on his tech app Wake, while he starts to doubt Anna's identity and cracks begin to show in their relationship.
The New York magazine article about Anna left her boyfriend unnamed. Both Chase Sikorski and his app Wake are fictionalised, though the character is thought to be based on Anna's real boyfriend.
Alan Reed, played by Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards (Law & Order True Crime) plays Anna's finance lawyer Alan Reed, who helps her secure a huge loan.
Alan Reed is thought to be based on Anna Delvey's real-life lawyer, Andy Lance. Speaking about the lawyer, Anna told The Cut journalist Jessica Pressler, "He knows how to talk to women. And he would explain to me the right amount, without being patronizing."
She went on to add that the pair spoke every day, saying, "He was there all the time. He would answer in the middle of the night, or when he was in Turks and Caicos for Christmas."
Nora Radford, played by Kate Burton
Grey's Anatomy and Scandal star Kate Burton plays Nora Radford in Inventing Anna, a wealthy older woman who Anna stays with. Nora helps Anna with setting up the Anna Delvey Foundation, before the conwoman eventually scams her by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on her credit cards.
While the storyline between Anna and Nora is juicy, Nora Radford is unfortunately not thought to be a real person. However, Nora is likely based on one or more of Anna's victims. In her The Cut article, Jessica Pressler reports on how Anna took advantage of Manhattan’s wealthy elite, which Nora represents.
Talia Mally, played by Marika Dominczyk
Marika Dominczyk, who you might recognise as Dr. Eliza Minnick in Grey's Anatomy, plays the character of Talia Mally - an influencer whom Vivian Kent goes to interview about Anna Delvey.
Flashback scenes show Anna and boyfriend Chase visiting Talia on her boat in Ibiza, before they cause a stir by staying on the boat once all other guests have left.
It's not known whether Talia Mally is based on a real person, though many of the events in the series are inspired by Anna Delvey's real life.
Maud, played by Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith, known for her roles in For the People, Black-ish and Nurse Jackie plays Maud in Inventing Anna. An older journalist who's sidelined by young newcomers, Maud is "sharp, funny, and often too blunt," though it's not known whether she's based on a real-life person.
Jack, played by Anders Holm
You might recognise Anders Holm from his role as Casey in The Mindy Project, as well as playing Anders Holmvik in Workaholics. He stars as Vivian's husband Jack in Inventing Anna who, while supportive, begins to find things harder as he watches Vivian becoming more in danger of succumbing to her obsession with the heiress.
While Jessica Pressler is married in real life, it's not known whether Jack is based on her real-life husband, or whether he's fictionalised too.
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