More, more and more about that delightful Inventing Anna
This story is completely true, except for the parts that are totally made up. The standard beginning of every episode of Netflix's latest: Inventing Anna.
In case you crawled under a dolmen / imposed a Netflix restriction on yourself / were in hibernation, let me catch you up. Inventing Anna tells the true story of Anna Sorokin, who scammed half of New York's elite under the name Anna Delvey. She sleeps in the best boutique hotels, hops from left to right by private jet, and it was only a matter of time before she could have easily scammed 20 million from an Upper East Side investor with all her air soufflés. We see the story through the eyes of Vivian Kent, a journalist who follows and investigates Anna's story. But what is true and what is ‘totally made up’?
1. The journalist part is true
Her name is Jessica Pressler and she writes for The New York Times. In the series, Vivian is portrayed a bit as a loser. She wants to show that she can really write (she once made a blunder and was then banished to ‘Scriberia’, a corner of the editorial office where the washed-up journalists hang out, something that Pressler claims actually exists). Unlike Kent, Pressler was a successful reporter who was supported by her superiors. She had previously made a report on which the film Hustlers was based. Just saying. Pressler (the real journalist) was pregnant at the time she wrote her story about Anna Delvey, but not to the extent that she filled her entire nursery with photos of Anna and her friends. I found that a rather sad attempt by the creators to try to add some more tension to the story through a ‘murder wall’. Totally unnecessary, but okay.
2. Anna really stole a private jet
Although, stole, stole... It's not like she took it and parked it in her backyard, but she did use it and never paid for it.
3. No VIP treatment in prison
Anna says her prison outfit is ‘dry pressed’ but believe me, there is a place where everyone is equal and that is Rikers Island. That prison has since been closed, by the way.
4. Jessica Pressler lent Anna Delvey a dress for the trial
The journalist develops such a strong bond with Anna (even though the love is completely one-sided) that she even lends her a dress when the verdict is announced. Presence is everything. In the series, Vivian Kent, the journalist, makes a big deal out of this (if there were a prize for blowing things out of proportion, she would have won it), as she would cross the dangerous line where she loses her objectivity. In reality, Jessica Pressler had much less trouble with this. Her story was already written, so she did this out of kindness.
5. Rachel snitched on Anna and benefited from it
One of Anna's friends, Rachel, temporarily lends Anna her Amex card to pay for their Moroccan rihad. Anna never pays back the 65,000 dollars, after which Rachel decides to report her to the police. Under the pretense of having coffee, she lures her into a trap. Meanwhile, Amex has forgiven the 65,000 dollars and Rachel has also landed a six-figure book deal. In that book, she tells her story, so she hasn't come out worse for wear. There was a lot of criticism of Rachel for putting up with all of Anna's treats for a year and a half, never paying for anything, and dropping her to the police when things got tough. I would be afraid of karma, but who am I?
