Inventing Anna spoilers follow.
Shondaland's latest Netflix show Inventing Anna has dropped and tells a tale of faking-it-to-make-it so wild you'd be forgiven for not realising that it's a totally true story.
Well... apart from the bits they made up.
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The true crime retelling is a little fast and loose with the truth at times. For example, the character of Chase is, from what we can tell, a totally fictional boyfriend who was made up for the story. Anna also wasn't caught by trying to swindle a rehab facility in Los Angeles either.
But for the most part, the show has maintained some level of accuracy, with the series' conclusion bringing the fact and the fiction together. Here's what happened to each character in the finale, and what the real inspirations behind the characters did next.
Anna Delvey
In the series finale, Anna (Julia Garner) headed to court and with the support of friend Neff, became an internet sensation with the help of an Instagram account dedicated to her fashion choices when appearing in front of the judge.
Anna's behaviour became increasingly erratic, at times refusing to come out until she was given fresh clothes to wear and even getting into a screaming match with her lawyer as she refused to let him use his defence plan that she was 'incompetent' and nowhere close to getting the money they claim she was trying to scam.
Of the eight criminal charges made against her, she was convicted of six – and was sentenced to 4 to 12 years' imprisonment, a $24,000 fine, a $199,000 restitution, and would be deported to Germany after her sentence was done.
In the final moments of the show, it's revealed that she was released in 2021, just two years after her sentence, on the grounds of good behaviour, only to be detained again a month later by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for overstaying her visa.
However, in real life, Anna put that month to good use. First, she signed off on her life rights to be used for Inventing Anna and appeared on shows including 20/20 and Australia's 60 Minutes to discuss her conviction.
Due to the Son of Sam Law in place in the US that prohibits convicts earning money from their crimes, her earnings were seized and used to pay off her debts and restitution, as well as her lawyers' fees. The deal with Netflix effectively allowed her to leave jail with some money.
As of February 2022, Anna was still in ICE custody, having to quarantine after testing positive for Covid. She is currently planning on appealing her conviction.
In a piece written for Business Insider, Anna explains that she is considered a 'threat to the community'.
"Admittedly, I, the ultimate unreliable narrator, have made some questionable choices that I wouldn't necessarily repeat today," she wrote.
"Do these decisions inevitably make me a permanent threat to public safety? The government says yes.
"But in comparison with whom? Everything's relative."
She added she has no plans to watch Inventing Anna.
Vivian Kent
At the end of Inventing Anna, Vivian (Anna Chlumsky) is seen finding it difficult to cut her ties to the woman whose life had become hers after so long.
After the prospect of a follow-up story on Anna's wealthy background came down to nothing, new mum Vivian was finding herself lost and trying to move on.
As a result, she was in the courtroom every day, lending Anna clothes and support throughout the trial and drinking with her lawyer Todd Spodek in the evening.
They later share a heartfelt goodbye before Anna was moved to a new prison.
In real life, Vivian Kent doesn't even exist. The real writer was Jessica Pressler, who loosely forms the inspiration for Vivian, and whose article 'How Anna Delvey tricked New York' for New York Magazine's The Cut was the basis of Inventing Anna.
Unlike Vivian, Jessica didn't have a major scandal in her past that had negatively impacted her journalistic reputation. In fact, in 2015, four years before writing the Anna Delvey piece, she had written an article that became the basis for the Jennifer Lopez smash-hit movie Hustlers, and won awards for the piece.
While her entire character has been replaced on Inventing Anna, Jessica has been supportive of the project, even sharing a grab from the show of Vivian and Anna talking in prison with the caption: "What's the German word for when you have an out-of-body experience in which you are replaced by Anna Chlumsky?"
She continues to work as a journalist and writer, with the Netflix show's end credits stating she had completed her book, titled Bad Influence.
Rachel Deloache Williams
Rachel Deloache Williams (played by Katie Lowes) is one of the characters who comes off badly after an encounter with Anna. Convinced by Anna to hand over her own credit cards as "holding cards" in a five-star Marrakech resort, what should have been a girls trip turned into a $62,000 bill that Anna said she'd cover, but refused to pay back.
Rachel worked with the police to get Anna arrested for being a conwoman, but ultimately her grand larceny case was one of the two Anna was found not guilty for.
In the show, when Rachel takes the stand, lawyer Todd Spodek successfully argued that she had fed off Anna's generosity and lifestyle, living a privileged lifestyle on Anna's money, and had handed over her card willingly.
He also noted that, as a result of her relationship with Anna, Rachel now stood to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars within the space of a year, after selling her story to Vanity Fair for $1,200, landing a book deal with a $300,000 cash advance, a TV deal which included a $30,000 option fee and a further $300,000 if it gets made into a show.
So as a result of her friendship with Anna, Rachel was up a potential $631,200. The revelation that Rachel was behind Anna's arrest makes Kacy and Neff cut ties with her.
In real life, Rachel continues to write, and her book My Friend Anna, based on her previous relationship and the subsequent Marrakech fallout, was released in 2019.
It gained significant praise and became one of Time magazine's 100 must-reads of the year.
Since then, it's been optioned by HBO for its own series on the tale, which is due to be released at some point towards the end of 2022.
Unlike Inventing Anna, the untitled series will focus on the story from Rachel's point of view.
In a post on AirMail, Rachel has slammed the show for effectively becoming "PR" for the convicted Anna, who used the money she was paid for signing over her life rights for the series to pay off her lawyers fees and restitution.
"Netflix isn't just putting out a fictional story. It's effectively running a con woman's PR –and putting money in her pocket," Williams writes. "People have never loved grift stories as much as they do today, and media companies are competing to give viewers what they want. In the case of Anna Sorokin, Netflix moved so quickly that their involvement influenced the nature of the very story they intended to dramatize."
Kacy Davis
In the series, Kacy Davis is seen consistently torn between her friendship with Anna, and those who were affected by Anna's behaviour and scamming.
A personal trainer to the stars, Kacy (played by Laverne Cox) found herself caught up in the whirlwind of Anna's spending as she was employed by her, before eventually even ending up on the fateful Marrakech trip.
Kacy would back and forth between her quotes being used for Vivian's article, before eventually agreeing under the proviso her name was kept away from the pieces.
Subsequently, like in real life, Kacy is only ever referred to as "a trainer" in both her and Rachel's articles.
At the end of the series, Kacy cuts ties with Rachel over her behaviour towards Anna, setting her up for prison, and the money she's earned as a result of the experience.
In reality, Kacy continues to work as a personal trainer, and has thrown her support behind the Netflix show, sharing clips and declaring: "Karma is a badbitch indeed! But I am a Graceful Gangster!"
In another, she shouted out her counterpart Laverne, telling her: "Weeeerrrrrk mama! I'm so proud of you."
Neff
As a concierge at 11 Howard, Neff (played by Alexis Floyd) found herself bonding with Anna, who would tip her frequently with $100 bills and would bring her along on her trips.
Supporting her friend even after discovering her long con plans, Neff would often visit Anna in prison, and shared photos with Anna.
In the show, Neff is also the mastermind behind Anna's 'court looks' Instagram page, and would fiercely continue to defend her friend.
Anna was seen encouraging Neff to pursue her dream of becoming a film creator.
In real life, Neff would eventually follow her advice, and quit New York to move to Los Angeles.
Speaking to Paper Magazine in 2018, she said: "The main reason I did the article [with Jessica Pressler] was that several articles were released about her that were negative, and it was just surprising, because the person I knew was positive, giving, did well, and was a great girl."
On January 24, 2022, Neff celebrated Anna's birthday with a heartfelt post on Instagram, sharing her thoughts about Inventing Anna in the process.
"Happy Birthday [Anna Delvey]. I could say a lot but I think [Inventing Anna] will cover that for me. You're my favourite Aquarius!" she wrote.
"You're the Thelma to my Louise. And even though I don't agree with all the things you've done in this lifetime, I could never be shady and forget about you.
"Thank you for teaching me to not give a f**k, and how important expensive t-shirts really are. Quality matters. I [love] you crazytail."
Inventing Anna is available now on Netflix.
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Freelance writer, Digital Spy
Tilly is Gold-Standard NCTJ accredited journalist with eight years of experience in entertainment journalism.
She has been heard giving her insight on the latest TV stories on BBC Radio across the country and on BBC News.
Previously working with The Sun Online, Yahoo, Metro.co.uk and Independent IE amongst others, she joined the Digital Spy team from 2021-2023 as Deputy TV Editor (Maternity cover).
With a speciality in TV drama and true crime, Tilly has been praised for her exclusive content with A-list stars ranging from Sir David Attenborough to the lawyers behind Making A Murderer.
She’s happy to report her mum now takes her seriously as a journalist as she got to interview George Clooney once.
