“This whole story is completely true, except for all the parts that are totally made up.”
So begins each episode of Netflix’s “Inventing Anna.”
The story of Anna Delvey has officially captivated us all.
And the fascination with Delvey doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Read on for what you don’t know about the real Anna Delvey.
This backstory is totally true.
Delvey, or Sorokin, as she was originally known, was born in Moscow.
The family moved to Eschweiler, Germany, in2007.
“I do not have any influence on her life and what she does,” he said.
We raised her well."
According to an old school friend of Delvey’s, she was always smart and obsessed with glamour.
“She always lovedfashionand bought glossy magazines from the age of 13,” her friend recalled.
In fact, she was eager to “get out.”
While in Paris, Anna Sorokin officially became Anna Delvey.
According to theIndependent, Delvey’s parents have no idea where this name came from.
It turns out, this story is very much like her real life while living in New York.
Delvey established herself as one of New York’s elite by befriending other wealthy people in town.
After all, Delvey is a Russian trying to sound German.
“Some of it she gets right but not everything,” the real Delvey toldInsider.
She also had somethoughts about the docuseries and why she’s not watching.
On the show, she and her boyfriend are both trying to start their own respective businesses.
Chase even finds out about Delvey’s real origins and agrees to keep helping her.
So, did the real Delvey have a boyfriend-slash-business accomplice?
AsMen’s Healthpointed out, there is no real Chase Sikorski.
However, there are a few good real-life contenders who could have served as inspiration for the character.
Apparently, this guy really did move to the Emirates, so this certainly narrows it down.
It sounds like Delvey really did have a tech boyfriend IRL who was a lot like Chase!
So, was Radford based on a real person from Delvey’s life?
Well,accordingto actress Julia Garner, the character was based on a real person.
It’s hard to say for sure.
On the show, she’s known as Vivian Kent in real life, her name is Jessica Pressler.
She was even pregnant in real life, too (via theIndependent).
As Pressler toldVulture, she didn’t initially want to be featured in the show.
As Pressler toldInStyle, she didn’t really go into labor moments after finishing her piece on Delvey!
One of her most insane stunts is booking and flying in a private jet without ever paying.
Apparently, a lot of this actually happened in real life, too.
The real CEO of Blade, Rob Wiesenthal, was an acquaintance of Delvey’s.
By the sounds of things, Delvey’s situation didn’t even seem that strange at the time.
While she’s waiting for her loan to come through, her funds are becoming dangerously low.
In the end, Delvey charges everything to Rachel’s card the total comes to over $60,000.
And, she did write aVanity Fairpiece about her experience.
As far as she is concerned, “The story profits [Anna].
This is a narrative designed to create empathy for a character who lacks it.”
On the show, one concierge staff member, Neff, even becomes friendly with Delvey.
It seems that all of this really did happen.
Neff is based on Neffatari Davis, who worked at 11 Howard in real life.
On the show, Delvey comes very close to securing her loan.
But did she come this close in real life?
According toInsider, most of what you see on the show is true.
Delvey did meet with bankers who took her loan tool seriously.
One of Delvey’s main concerns going into the trial is what she will wear.
For her court appearances, Delvey worked with Anastasia Walker, a stylist and friend of Neffatari Davis.
“Anna and I talked on the phone about what she was interested in wearing,” Walker toldElle.
She was also fined $24,000 and charged almost $200,000 in restitution to her victims.
Even after her conviction, Delvey toldThe New York Times, “I’m not sorry.”
As Delvey wrote in an essay forInsider, she was arrested while trying to renew her visa.
As of February 2022, Delvey is still in custody awaiting deportation to Germany.
Netflix paid her $320,000 to produce Inventing Anna
What’s next for Anna Delvey?
For one thing, Netflix paid her $320,000 for the rights to tell her story.
According to Delvey, she used this money pretty quickly.
But, she may still benefit from the show in other ways.
I’m in talks with different publishers," she said.
