Against her mother's wishes, Gypsy Rose becomes enamored with Lacey's more mature knowledge of makeup and boys. Lacey quickly becomes an idol of sorts for Gypsy Rose, and AnnaSophia Robb does a solid enough job of being a level-headed teenager. I'll note that Worthy's performance is blood-curdlingly awkward throughout, but it's best to leave him out of the conversation so early in the season. Another 'friend' who pops up later is Calum Worthy's Nick, whom Gypsy Rose meets online. Eventually, she started an online relationship with Nicholas Godejohn, the man from Wisconsin who would kill Dee Dee.Such peers are few and far between, but include the Blanchard's neighbors Mel (Chloë Sevigny) and her daughter Lacey (AnnaSophia Robb) while I had few issues with The Act, I felt these characters were underserved, which isn't to fault the actresses. She began discreetly corresponding with men online even though her mother monitored her Internet usage. Over time, Gypsy wanted to break free from her mother. Friends and neighbors were also keen to help them, not really knowing what was going on.

Their house, for example, was built by Habitat for Humanity in order for Gypsy to have a handicap-accessible home.

While one neurologist suspected that something seemed off because of Gypsy's clean bill of health, nothing came out of his suspicions.ĭee Dee was able to collect donations in order to sustain her and her daughter. During these checkups, physicians would prescribe the young girl treatment for her supposed vision, hearing, sleep, and salivation problems. Gypsy would go with her mother's plans in fear of physical retaliation.ĭee Dee went to at least 150 different doctors for her daughter's alleged illnesses, even crossing state lines. She kept her daughter in a wheelchair even though Gypsy was perfectly capable of walking - and as it turns out, perfectly healthy, period. For years, Dee Dee told friends and family that Gypsy suffered from a range of different ailments, including leukemia, epilepsy, and muscular dystrophy, on top of having the mental capacity of a 7-year-old child. Dee Dee and Gypsy had been living in Springfield, MO after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home in 2005.

True story the act