Jessica Pressler on Netflix’s 'Inventing Anna'

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( BACKSTORIES [Jessica Pressler on What’s Real and Not About Inventing Anna]( And the surreal experience of seeing her reporting acted out on Netflix. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Netflix and Getty Images In the Netflix series Inventing Anna, a journalist tries to untangle a web of lies spun by a socialite who claims to be a German heiress. It’s all very close to the truth of the article on which the show is based, reported here in [New York Magazine]( by Jessica Pressler, of the real-life Anna Sorokin, who got many wealthy New Yorkers to foot the bill for her lavish lifestyle. On the show, the journalist’s name is Vivian and the magazine goes by Manhattan, though its offices bear a [close resemblance]( to our own. Anna Chlumsky, who plays Vivian, didn’t base her performance on Pressler in specific, but there are similarities in their histories and in some of the details of her reporting process. With Inventing Anna out on Netflix, Pressler, who is also a producer on the series, spoke with us about the adaptation process, why she was surprised Shonda Rhimes and her team decided to make a reporter a central character, and how the show ended up capturing the truth of her experience. [Read The Story »]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now](for unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • [All Creatures Great and Small:]( A Pretty Decent Proposal • [Billions:]( The Queen’s Gambit • [Euphoria:]( Uphill Battles • [The Righteous Gemstones:]( Knees and Toes • [Power Book IV: Force:]( Chicago Is Now Home [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like 1. [The Irishman Is a Valentine’s Day Movie And not just because February 14 happens to be Jimmy Hoffa’s birthday.]( By Rebecca Alter 2. [‘We Should Hate It, But It Works’ An oral history of the inexplicably star-studded, hallucinogenic ending of Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.]( By Rachel Handler 3. [America’s Sweethearts Star in an Amazon Ad, and More Super Bowl Commercials Pete Davidson selling mayonnaise — it just makes sense.]( By Rebecca Alter 4. [Every Super Bowl Halftime Show Since 1993, Ranked An overview of the last 30 years of mid-game pop spectacle from worst to best.]( By Brian Moylan [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( 5. [An Important Note About Marry Me’s Math Competition in Peoria, Illinois It is the only part of the film that makes sense, yet it also fails spectacularly.]( By Rachel Handler 6. [Art Spiegelman Loses His Glasses As the latest fight over Maus erupts, its artist-creator searches for his spectacles.]( By Abraham Riesman 7. [Somebody Somewhere’s Jeff Hiller Has Never Played a Character As Likable As Joel “It’s something I aspire to be. I want to be the person who throws the dinner party, but I don’t have that skill set.”]( By Jackson McHenry [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 20-Across: Good-bye from Emily in Paris Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: A24; StudioCanal; NBC Vulture Recommends We consume it all so you don’t have to. Watch some indie-sleaze cinema characterized by gorgeous film sequences, manic pixie dream girls, and unabashed quirkiness. Dig out your collared dresses this Valentine’s Day and enjoy this [abridged timeline of the hipster cinematic canon](. [Read more from Vulture]( This week at Union Hall Vulture’s weekly comedy show, Pretty Major, will be hosted by [Marcia Belsky](, [Jay Jurden](, and [Zach Zimmerman](. [Buy tickets here.]( Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY If you enjoyed reading Vulture’s daily newsletter, forward it to a friend. Or dive deeper into the Vulture universe with our other newsletters: • [1.5x Speed](: Podcast recommendations and listening notes from Nick Quah, sent every Wednesday. • [Buffering](: Joe Adalian reports on the streaming industry, sent every Thursday. • [The Housewives Institute Bulletin](: For dedicated students of the Reality TV Arts and Sciences, sent every other Friday. • [Vulture 10x10 Crossword](: A puzzle for pop-culture obsessives, sent every weekday. • [The Critics](: A weekly dispatch on the cultural discourse, sent every Friday. [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](param=daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved