Is Netflix Series ‘Russian Doll’ About Natasha Lyonne?

Aside from storylines inspired by the depths of her “well-documented Keith Richards era,” as she calls it, Natasha’s family history makes its way into both seasons. Season 2 sees Nadia take over the body of her Hungarian Jewish grandma, Vera Peschauer (Ilona McCrea), in WWII-era Budapest, learning about her family’s past along the way.

In real-life, Natasha’s mother is in fact the daughter of Holocaust survivors, per the Baltimore Jewish Times. “I think I’m sort of, you know — my lineage is dark survivors. I mean, I come from real Auschwitz stock. So, you know, Hitler was a big player in my childhood, and it was this kind of mentality of surviving,” she told NPR.