Inventing Anna: Laverne Cox reveals message she received from real Kacy Duke after Netflix series released

‘I was really in so much anxiety, because I was like, “If Kacy hates it, this is going to be terrible”’

Laverne Cox has revealed what Kacy Duke said to her after watching her portrayal in Inventing Anna.

The hit Netflix series focuses on a twenty-something socialite and con artist Anna Sorokin (Julia Garner), who extracted hundreds of thousands of dollars from friends and banks by posing as a wealthy heiress named Anna Delvey.

Duke, a celebrity fitness expert, was Sorokin’s personal trainer and confidante, and is depicted in the series by Cox.

Speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Orange is the New Black star described Duke’s involvement in the series, and shared a message Duke sent her after watching the final product.

“I got to meet Kacy,” she said. “She 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.

“She’s a legend, and she got roped into this crazy scheme.”

Series host Jimmy Fallon then asked what Duke’s response had been to Cox’s depiction of her.

“I was so nervous,” Cox replied. “I was really in so much anxiety, because I was like, ‘If Kacy hates it, this is going to be terrible.’ But she sent me the sweetest message.

“She sent me flowers. She said: ‘Congratulations. Laverne is killing it.’”

Laverne Cox as Kacy Duke in ‘Inventing Anna' (NICOLE RIVELLI/NETFLIX)

Cox also revealed that a friend of Duke’s had tweeted at her, saying that they had known Duke for two decades and that Cox’s performance had “nailed it”.

Last week, many viewers began pointing out the same behind-the-scenes detail regarding Inventing Anna’s cast.

For a breakdown of what is fact and what is fiction in the series, click here.

Inventing Anna is available to stream on Netflix now.