Summary
- The Act accurately portrays the video recording of Gypsy Rose and her boyfriend after the murder, as Gypsy herself has confirmed its authenticity.
- The Cinderella story scene in the theater, including sneaking off to have sex, is based on real events and was part of Gypsy and Nick's plan.
- Gypsy's boyfriend, Nick, did have dissociative identity disorder in real life, and the show kept many details of his character, such as his diet, consistent with reality.
Content Warning: the following article contains discussions of sexual violence, child abuse, and murder.
The Act is a true crime anthology series that centers around Dee Dee Blanchard and her victim/daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, but is The Act accurate? The real case of Gypsie Rose took place in 2015 when police began investigating the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard. By the time the case came to full light, it turned out that Blanchard had forced Gypsy Rose to pretend to be sick and ill, and then threatened her when she attempted to escape. In 2015, Gypsy Rose had a boyfriend she met on the Internet who murdered Dee Dee to help free Gypsy Rose. Both Gypsy Rose and her boyfriend went to prison and Hulu told a fictionalized version of the story with The Act.
While there are a lot of similarities between The Act and the real-life story that it is based on, there are several differences as well. As expected, TV shows are known to dramatize and exaggerate situations that are based on real-life events to create more entertainment and convenience for the plot. It even states at the end of every episode how "while the show is based on real events, some scenes and characters have been dramatized or fictionalized." With Gypsy Rose out of prison, The Act might be getting a fresh look.
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The Video Recording Is Based On What Really Happened
In episode 6 of The Act, a chilling video plays of Gypsy Rose and her boyfriend Nick laughing and having a great time less than 24 hours after Nick killed Dee Dee Blanchard. While this scene seems too haunting to be real, Gypsy did record the fun video with Nick, and the dialogue is close to the same as the real-life footage. Gypsy Rose has stated her embarrassment towards the video yet claimed the reason she was acting so happy was because she was extremely high at the time on drugs. She also said she felt a sense of freedom for the very first time in her life, which continued during her prison stay, where she said she felt free for the first time (via ABC).
The Cinderella Story Is What Was Really Planned Out
There are several versions and retellings of the classic "Cinderella story," yet none are quite like the one between Gypsy and Nick. According to the documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, the couple planned to meet up at the movie theater for the live-action remake of Cinderella (2015), and pretty much everything that happened in The Act during the theater scene was accurate. That includes the two sneaking off to have sex in the theater's restroom (via Fox4). In real life, Nick dressed up as Prince Charming at the theater, which most likely caused Dee Dee to be even more suspicious of him.
Nick's Dissociative Identity Disorder Was Real
Gypsy's boyfriend at the time, Nick Godejohn has a few similarities in real life to the version in The Act portrayed by Calum Worthy. Worthy did a heavy amount of research on the character before portraying the role and everything from his mannerisms to his diet was kept the same (via Vanity Fair). Nick's real-life diet mostly consisted of peanut butter and pizza, so Worthy would eat the same foods exclusively to become the role. In an interview with Dr. Phil, Gypsy Rose said that Nick "had multiple personalities that were violent and scary. He thought he was a 500-year-old vampire named Victor" (via The Wrap). However, that alter was his "bad side."
Dee Dee Really Did Tie Gypsy Rose Up
In real life, Dee Dee Blanchard tied her daughter up to the bed. Although in the show Dee Dee does this more than once, it only happened one time in real life after Gypsy attempted to run away. Unfortunately, Gypsy was starved in real life and more terrified than submissive and accepting of her mother's behavior as portrayed on the show. According to Gypsy Rose, it was one of the worst moments of her life. Despite all that, Gypsy Rose says she never wanted her mother dead, but it was the only way she thought she could escape (via ABC).
"I also had more freedom in prison than I ever had with my mother ... She had a lot of demons herself that she was struggling with. I didn't want her dead. I just wanted out of my situation. And I thought that was the only way out."
Lacey Was Based On A Real Person
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's friend in The Act is Lacey (AnnaSophia Robb). She is based on Blanchard's real-life "best friend," Aleah Woodmansee. Much like on the show, the two were neighbors and Woodmansee would help Gypsy learn more about things kids their age usually take an interest in, such as the topics of boys and dating. Like on the show, Woodmansee was the only one to know about Gypsy's secret Facebook account named "Emma Rose" and she was also in on the fact that Gypsy would use the account to message boys. Aleah Woodmansee served as a good friend to Gypsy Rose by allowing her an ear to expose all her secrets.
Things They Changed
Nick Never Really Called Dee Dee To Admit His Relationship
In episode 5 of The Act, Nick Godejohn calls Dee Dee up and confesses to her that he is the man from the theater during Cinderella, and he has secretly been dating Gypsy. He tells Dee Dee how he plans on spending the rest of his life with Gypsy while having kids with her one day. This causes Dee Dee to tie Gypsy up to the bed for an extended period. In real life, this phone call never happened. According to the Blanchard family friend, Fancy Macelli, "If that had happened, I can honestly say I'm not sure we'd even be sitting here talking" (via In Touch Weekly).
Gypsy's Wheelchair Incident Was Not Due To A Trampoline
As seen in episode 6, Gypsy ends up in a wheelchair after she falls off of a trampoline. In real life, the incident that led to Dee Dee forcing Gypsy into a wheelchair was brought on by a minor motorcycle accident she experienced with Dee Dee's father. The scene with the trampoline is completely fictional, and instead of using Dee Dee's mother's wheelchair, Dee Dee uses a random wheelchair she found "From God knows where". As stated by the Blanchard family friend Fancy, "The motorcycle accident was weird enough, but to believe a kid fell off a trampoline and that everyone bought she was paralyzed ... it was very calculated and strategic."
Dee Dee Blanchard Was Not In Jail For An Extended Period
On the show, it appears Dee Dee Blanchard spends at least six months in jail due to writing bad checks, yet in real life, she only spent a single night in jail. Perhaps this was done on the show to dramatize real-life events and to create more of a conflict between Dee Dee and her mother Emma, where Emma tries to spend that time taking control over Dee Dee's parenting for Gypsy. Yet Dee Dee's relationship with her mother Emma was very different in real life than it was on the show. This is just one part of adding drama to their relationship.
Nick Isn't As Nice As He Was Portrayed In The Act
There are a few major differences between Nick in The Act and the real-life Nicholas Godejohn. The Blanchard family claims the show attempts to humanize Godejohn too much as an idiotic young man who means well, while in real life he was much more in control of things during the events leading up to Dee Dee's death. As seen in the documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, Godejohn planned on assaulting Dee Dee Blanchard as well as murdering her.
Gypsy Rose says in the documentary how she made a deal with her then-boyfriend that he could assault her instead so that he wouldn't rape her mother. Gypsy then claimed that Godejohn went through with the deal and assaulted Gypsy as "Victor", despite her screaming for him to stop. In her 20/20 interview, Gypsy said that she never could have killed her mother, but it was something Nick had no problems doing (via Harper's Bazaar).
"There's a big difference between someone who asks someone to kill someone and someone that actually does it. Because I would never kill somebody. I would never physically go through with killing somebody. I can't. I don't hate him. I feel sorry for him, and just that somebody could do something so heartless and not express remorse and not feel like he's responsible for it."
Dee Dee Blanchard And Her Mother Didn't Really Clash
Dee Dee Blanchard and her mother Emma seem like enemies in The Act. It seems as if the two are constantly butting heads and competing over control when it comes to parenting Gypsy Rose. Emma even claims on the show how Dee Dee makes it impossible for her to ever love her. In real life, their relationship is quite different. According to The Blanchard family and Fancy, Dee Dee was seen as "the favorite" of Emma's children and was constantly given special attention. There have even been claims that Emma had symptoms of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, although it was said to be milder than Dee Dee's condition.