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- Compare the “Inventing Anna” Cast to Their Real-Life Counterparts
Compare the “Inventing Anna” Cast to Their Real-Life Counterparts
“Inventing Anna,” Netflix’s miniseries about Anna Sorokin (Julia Garner) swindling a ton of people out of money and convincing everyone that she was some rich, elusive heiress named Anna Delvey, is sure to be a roller coaster from beginning to end. Because the show is directly inspired by Sorokin’s real life – from the start of her scam to getting exposed by a savvy journalist – the cast all have real-life counterparts to imitate. While some minor details may have been tweaked for the sake of television, the cast and story largely stay true to what actually happened a few years ago when the fake heiress known as Anna Delvey ran rampant through New York City. Here’s what all the show’s characters look like next to their real-life counterparts.
Anna Sorokin in Real Life
Anna Sorokin is the fake heiress who scammed just about everyone in her path a few years ago under the name Anna Delvey. She swindled friends and businesses out of thousands by convincing them she was some sort of posh European, but her lies eventually caught up with her. She served time for four counts of theft of services, three counts of grand larceny, and one count of attempted grand larceny.
Jessica Pressler in Real Life
Jessica Pressler was the author of the “New York” magazine story that bared Sorokin’s scams. Her character in “Inventing Anna” was given the name Vivian instead and works for a fictional publication. Pressler’s May 2018 story on Sorokin exposed her entire scandal and turned the fake heiress into a public figure. Pressler, who is an accomplished writer, also wrote the “New York” magazine story that eventually became the movie “Hustlers.”
Todd Spodek in Real Life
Todd Spodek served as Sorokin’s lawyer while she was on trial for theft. He told Insider in 2019 that his goal was to convince the jury that Sorokin’s attempts to swindle money were too incompetent to punish her for them. The financial institutions “believed she was a German heiress, and they believed they would get a 15% interest loan,” Spodek told Insider. “They just closed their eyes and went through the process.”
Rachel DeLoache Williams in Real Life
Rachel DeLoache Williams is a former photo editor for “Vanity Fair.” She befriended Sorokin, who invited her on an “all-expenses-paid” trip to Morocco. Williams ended up paying more than $62,000 during the stay as Sorokin promised to reimburse her. She later went on to write a book called “My Friend Anna.”