1. First, when Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey, was asked if she would ever watch Inventing Anna, she told Insider that it would be hard to do since she's currently in ICE custody. "It doesn't look like I'll be watching Inventing Anna anytime soon," she explained. "Even if I were to pull some strings and make it happen, nothing about seeing a fictionalized version of myself in this criminal-insane-asylum setting sounds appealing to me."
2. About a month after Jessica Pressler's The Cut article was published, she started talks with Netflix and Shondaland. Jessica said it was right after she gave birth and she had a message from Shonda Rhimes. Jessica initially apologized for not getting back to her sooner, and Shonda responded with, "Don't EVER apologize for the work of being a woman and a mother. If you were a man, people would be putting you on the cover of Time magazine for taking care of kids and doing ANY work at all at the same time."
3. Since Inventing Anna dropped, Anna Sorokin has talked about the $320,000 Netflix reportedly paid her for the series. In a New York Times interview, she explained how she used the money, saying, "I paid $198,000-something for restitution, which I have paid off in its entirety and right away, and the rest of it to my legal fees."
4. Rachel DeLoache Williams criticized Netflix for paying Anna Sorokin. She told Vanity Fair, "I think promoting this whole narrative and celebrating a sociopathic, narcissistic, proven criminal is wrong. Having had a front-row seat to [the Anna circus] for far too long, I've studied the way a con works more than anybody needs to. You watch the spectacle, but you’re not paying attention to what’s being marketed."
5. Rachel also said Shonda Rhimes and Netflix were basically conned into believing that Anna was "a special and even inspiring person." In an article she wrote for Air Mail, Rachel also added, "Netflix isn’t just putting out a fictional story. It’s effectively running a con woman's PR — and putting money in her pocket."
6. In February 2022, Rachel DeLoache Williams penned a Time article titled, "Anna 'Delvey' Sorokin Almost Ruined My Life. Now She’s Being Rewarded for Her Crimes" where she detailed how hurt she was by the character of Rachel in Inventing Anna. She wrote, "The woman she becomes because of Anna. Seven little words that in one fell swoop stripped me of my agency, accomplishments, and truth. Were we meant to believe that the woman I had become was not on account of the parents who raised me, the love I shared with family and friends, my own efforts or personal growth, but because of Anna?"
7. Anna Sorokin reignited her feud with Rachel DeLoache Williams shortly after the series dropped. After Rachel's comments about the show, Anna took to her Instagram to call out Rachel for "continuing to shamelessly exploit her connection to me and profit off of her 'terrible trauma.'"
8. Anna also claimed that Rachel's attitude toward profiting off of Anna's story has changed after she saw her portrayal in Inventing Anna. Anna wrote on her Instagram, "Before Netflix forever cemented her over accurate total Karen image, her moral compass deemed it acceptable to suggest we write a book together. All while still pressing charges against me. She really thought she could have it all, didn't she?"
9. Meanwhile, Kacy Duke said that she felt like Rachel was portrayed "as a villain" in Inventing Anna and some of it "wasn't deserving because she was a victim like the rest of us." However, Kacy added that she wishes Rachel was honest with her about getting her own book and TV show deals, especially because Kacy "took off work" to support Rachel in court, but got nothing in return.
10. Neff Davis has also spoken about Rachel's comments on Inventing Anna. Neff revealed, "As far as how I feel about Rachel, I really don't have any feelings toward her. Me and Rachel were never friends. Anna was the only middleman between us. She has said unkind things, and she doesn’t really care for me. But that's fine."
11. Shonda Rhimes brought in the real Neff Davis as a consultant for Inventing Anna, and Shonda even offered to teach Neff about filmmaking. She told Vanity Fair, "Shonda was like, 'Actually, it’s more than a consultant. I know you wanna make film. I want you to come on set. I want you to shadow directors. I want you to learn the cameras and how a production is made.' And I was like, 'That’s more than what was offered from anyone else.' Everyone was just, like, sell your life rights and get out of there. But Shonda nurtured my film bone."
12. In fact, once Netflix bought the rights to Neff's side of the Anna Delvey story, Neff said she was able to pay off her rent "for two years" and she felt re-invigorated to start writing her own projects. In terms of consulting on Inventing Anna, she was in contact with the head of research at Shondaland and attended writers room meetings.
13. Similar to Neff, Kacy Duke was a consultant on the Netflix series as well. She said it has been "pretty amazing" to have her story be told and for the truth to be shared with the world. She also called the series "pretty accurate" and she called Rachel and Anna "nice women" who made choices she didn't approve of.
14. The character of Vivian came about during the Inventing Anna production process and it happened after Jessica wrote Shonda Rhimes a detailed email about what her visits to Rikers Island were like. Jessica said Shonda called her with the idea for a reporter as a character, and Jessica ended up loving that Vivian was a "tour guide into this world."
15. Kacy Duke loved getting to know Laverne Cox. Laverne talked about meeting Kacy, saying, "[Kacy] trained me. I had a four-hour lunch with her where she told me her life story. She lived this incredible life. She trained everyone from Denzel Washington to Lenny Kravitz to Julianne Moore. And she’s been in the business for over 30 years. [Kacy] sent me flowers. She said: 'Congratulations. Laverne is killing it.'"
16. And Neff Davis has remained good friends with Alexis Floyd, who portrays her on Inventing Anna. In fact, once Alexis was cast, the duo found out that they lived "down the street" from each other and they were able to meet up and chat. Alexis said she studied Neff and hoped it helped bring an authenticity to her portrayal.
17. Rachel DeLoache Williams has made it clear that Shonda Rhimes and her team at Shondaland did reach out "to get [her] option" for her story and book, but at the time HBO and Lena Dunham had already optioned the rights. The option on Rachel's book has since expired and there is no current plan for a TV series. While other real people who were depicted were involved in the making of Inventing Anna, Rachel wasn't.
18. In terms of watching the series, Rachel revealed that she has "been skimming" episodes, but doesn't appreciate the "true-crime entertainment" the show is promoting. She said, "I think it’s worth exploring at what point a half-truth is more dangerous than a lie."
19. Meanwhile, Kacy Duke has watched all of Inventing Anna and called it "a ride." "It's lovely and it's crazy, and it brings back memories," Kacy explained. "A hard love, you know? It's a life experience. To be in Shondaland, to be in Laverne Cox land, and all of this from something that was not as pleasant as I would've hoped to experience."
20. Since Inventing Anna premiered, Neff Davis said she's gained a lot of new followers and has gotten a mix of really sweet and really hurtful DMs. Speaking about the hateful comments, Neff told Vulture, "The unfortunate part is a lot of racist comments and people who don’t understand the dynamics between me being a Black woman and Anna being a white woman. They were feeling like, especially during Black History Month, my character was just someone who kissed Anna's ass too much. They mistook my loyalty for something else."
21. While there is an entire episode that features Vivian going to Germany to find Anna's parents, Jessica Pressler said the trip was a little exaggerated for TV. "I definitely did not try to break into anyone's home," she told Vulture. "I was hearing so many different stories about Anna, and it kept growing, and there were a lot of conspiracy theories going on, and I started to have so much material, I thought I would do a book of some kind. So I went, but it was not quite like that. There was a lot more laughing."
22. Rachel DeLoache Williams has talked about the disclaimer that appears at the beginning of every Inventing Anna episode that reads, "This whole story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are totally made up." She said, "That disclaimer gives the show enough credibility so that people can believe [the fictional elements] more easily. I think that’s really dangerous territory."
23. One moment from Inventing Anna that Jessica Pressler has clarified is when Vivian gives Anna clothes for her trial. Jessica said it did happen but it wasn't as much of a "fraught situation." She also revealed that she was not reporting on the trial and since her story was written already, she was just "there out of curiosity."
24. Since Inventing Anna, Neff Davis has also made it clear that she's still good friends with Anna Sorokin and she talks to her as much as they can. She told Vulture, "We speak as much as we can, which is like once a month right now. I spoke to her yesterday, actually. It's like, if I’m bored, I'll pick up."
25. Meanwhile, Jessica Pressler visited Anna alongside Julia Garner during pre-production for Inventing Anna. Jessica was there where Julia did her Anna accent for the real Anna. Since Inventing Anna dropped, Jessica hadn't talked to Anna "in a few months" since she's still in custody. However, Jessica does talk to Neff Davis very frequently. "We've kept in contact once a week for three years," Neff explained. "It's like having a mom in New York."
26. The one part of the show Rachel wants viewers to know wasn't true was she "was not laid off at Vanity Fair for this." She continued, saying, "I was not complicit [in] helping my friend defraud my employer." Rachel said she's been nervous to share her side of things because she's doesn't want o feed into "this picking-sides-ism," between her and Anna.
27. Since being a journalist is based on sticking to facts, Jessica Pressler said she was "nitpicky" about certain exaggerations in Inventing Anna. One she talked about was how Todd Spodek's office was filled with "boxes of discovery documents instead of a digital file." But, Jessica understood that "a digital file is not quite as good looking on screen."
28. After Anna Sorokin was released from prison, Kacy Duke revealed that Anna called her to see if they could reunite on camera. However, Kacy used her contract with Netflix for helping on Inventing Anna as an excuse to not sit down with her.
29. And finally, since Inventing Anna is a fictionalized version of Anna Sorokin's story, the real Anna has talked about what else she wants people to know, and she's apparently working on "multiple projects," which include a documentary, a book about her time in jail, and a podcast. Anna said she wants to "shed light on how [she] made the best out of [her] situation."
