What the cast of Inventing Anna look like compared to the real life people they portray

Inventing Anna on Netflix is a dramatised version of the story of New York’s fake heiress, Anna Delvey. And whilst a lot of what Anna herself may have said was lies, the story and the people included are very much real. Many of the characters in Inventing Anna were friends and associates of Anna Delvey’s in real life, and their stories in the Netflix show are based on what really happened to them.

The new Netflix series by Shonda Rhimes tells the story of Anna Sorokin. She took the name Anna Delvey, and posed as a millionaire heiress. She tricked the New York elite and people who believed they were her friends out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Here are all the characters from Inventing Anna who are based on real people, and what the cast members look like compared to them in real life.

Julia Garner – Anna Sorokin / Anna Delvey

The main person in the story, Anna Sorokin (or Delvey) is played by Julia Garner. In real life, Anna is 31 and Julia is 28. Julia is best known for her starring role as Ruth Langmore in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark, and Anna is best known for, you know, scamming loads of people out of thousands. The real Anna Delvey has said she won’t be watching the show about her, and said Julia Garner’s attempt at her accent is partly right, but “she falls in and out of it”. Ouch.

Anna Chlumsky – Vivian Kent

Anna Chlumsky plays the role of journalist Vivian Kent. Vivian’s character is based on real life reporter Jessica Pressler, who wrote an article for New York Magazine about Anna Delvey. In the show, Vivian works for Manhattan Magazine and is investigating the Anna Delvey case for a story. In real life, Jessica Pressler worked for New York Magazine and was pregnant at the time of the story, as is shown in the series. Now, Pressler still works at New York Magazine – as contributing editor.

Arian Moayed – Todd Spodek

Lawyer Todd Spodek is also a completely real person. In both the show and real life, Todd and Anna had a very close relationship and he represented her in her trial. When Anna refused to enter the courtroom in clothing provided by the Department of Correction, he hired celebrity stylist Anastasia Walker to be in charge of Anna’s wardrobe. “It is imperative that Anna dress appropriately for the trial. Anna’s style was a driving force in her business and life, and it is a part of who she is,” he said.

Todd is 43 in real life, and works as an attorney and criminal defence lawyer. The main difference between him and Arian Moayed, who plays him, is that Todd has no hair in real life.

Katie Lowes – Rachel DeLoache Williams

Rachel was also a friend of Anna’s in real life, before it came out that she was lying about who she is. Rachel was in New York working for Vanity Fair when she met Anna Delvey, and the pair became friends. It was Rachel’s card that Anna used when the friends visited Marrakesh. Rachel has written a book, titled My Friend Anna, about her time with Anna Delvey – and it’s being turned into a series with HBO. Rachel is played by Katie Lowes, who is best known for appearing in another Shondaland show, Scandal.

Alexis Floyd – Neff Davis

Neff is another character in Inventing Anna who is based on someone Anna Delvey knew in real life. When Anna was living in a hotel in New York, Neff was one of the staff members there, who grew close to her. She is played by Alexis Floyd, who you might also recognise from The Bold Type. Anna still follows the real Neff on Instagram.

Laverne Cox – Kacy Duke

Kacy Duke is very much a real person as well. When Anna moved to New York, she began getting personal training sessions with Kacy. Kacy is a celebrity fitness expert, and does sessions with the rich and famous. She owns KacyDukeFitness, and right now has 27.2k followers on Instagram. In the show, Kacy is played by Laverne Cox, who also starred in Orange Is the New Black.

Inventing Anna is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• ‘Fictionalised and unappealing’: What the real Anna Delvey has said about Inventing Anna

• Inventing Anna: The story of the real journalist who inspired Vivian Kent

• Was Anna Delvey paid by Netflix for the rights to the Inventing Anna story?