Inventing Anna is the story of Anna Delvey, the real-life con artist who reinvented herself as an heiress to steal the hearts—and money—of New York’s social elite. The limited series is told from the perspective of the journalist who investigated the case by interviewing Anna and the people whose lives she impacted. “Had she been a man, I’m not sure it would have caused such a ruckus,” Rhimes told Variety. “If she had been a hot chick, I’m not sure she would have caused such a ruckus. But because she was an ordinary-looking woman, who was smart and brilliant and went for what she wanted, and felt no remorse about it, people were outraged or shocked or stunned or fascinated.” Rhimes continued, “I don’t think she did anything different than what any guy on Wall Street’s done. None of them have done any time, and she’s been in jail for quite a while. Not to say she didn’t do anything wrong! I’m just saying: Gender did play a part.” Keep reading for everything we know about the upcoming Netflix limited series, Inventing Anna, including the cast, release date, real Anna Delvey and more
What is the InventingAnna release date?
Inventing Anna was released Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. The Anna Delvey movie will stream exclusively on Netflix.
Is Inventing Anna based on a true story?
It is! The series was based on the New York Magazine story, “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People,” written by Jessica Pressler. In the fictionalized account, the journalist’s name has been changed to Vivian Kent. “Who wouldn’t want to play someone like Anna,” Julia Garner, who stars in the title role, says. “This is a girl who has her wheels spinning all the time and you can do a lot with those types of characters as an actor. There are a lot of layers and dimensions. It seemed challenging and I’m always up for a challenge.” That said, Garner knew about the real-life story before she was approached to play the role, but she never thought she would be considered. “I wish had more of an interesting story,” Garner says when asked how she first got involved. “I got an email in my inbox, and I actually knew about this article a few months before. But I never thought that I would ever get an email to ever play her. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s no way people are going to think [of me], I don’t look anything like her.’ So, there’s no way that I would ever get an Anna Delvey email in my inbox. Never say never because a few months later I did. I was very surprised. I met with Shonda and that was it.”
Who is the real Anna Delvey?
The real Anna was born Anna Sorokin. Sorokin was born in Russia in 1991, and moved to Germany in 2007, when she was 16, with her younger brother and her parents. She moved to New York City in 2013 with her new surname, Delvey, and pretended to be an heiress worth $60 million. She told people that she could never get her hands on her money because it was tied up in a trust in Germany. In 2019, she was found guilty on eight charges of attempted grand larceny and theft of services and sent to prison from 2019 until her release in Feb. 2021. That March, she was taken into custody by ICE for deportation and remains in jail while her case is undergoing appeals.
Who is in the Inventing Anna cast?
Julia Garner
Julia Garner portrays Anna Delvey, the con woman extraordinaire.
Anna Chlumsky
Anna Chlumsky as Vivian Kent, the journalist who needs to write the story about Anna to save her career.
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox portrays Kacy Duke, a celebrity trainer and life coach who gets sucked into Anna’s circle.
Katie Lowes
Katie Lowes as Rachel Williams, who becomes enthralled by Anna and almost destroys her career and credit line in the process.
Anders Holm
Anders Holm as Jack Mercer, Vivian’s supportive husband. Arian Moayed Arian Moayed as Todd Spodek, Anna’s attorney.
Alexis Floyd
Alexis Floyd as Neff Davis, an aspiring filmmaker working as a hotel concierge who hooks Anna up with the A-list.
Jeff Perry
Jeff Perry as Lou, a co-worker of Vivian.
Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith as Maud, a co-worker of Vivian.
Terry Kinney
Terry Kinney as Barry, a co-worker of Vivian.
Who is Anna Delvey’s boyfriend Chase (Saamer Usmani)?
Early in Inventing Anna, we meet the con artist’s app developer boyfriend, Chase Sikorski, who is portrayed by British actor Saamer Usmani. Anna’s relationship with Chase in the series is one area where this fictionalized account differs from Jessica Pressler’s source material.
Is the Wake app real?
Although Pressler mentions Anna’s boyfriend of two years, Chase and his Wake app are fictional.
Is Saamer Usmani on Succession?
He is! You may recognize Usmani from his roles in What/If, Succession and Katy Keene.
Who is Andrew Lance aka Alan Reed?
Real-life attorney Andrew Lance is the inspiration for the Inspiring Anna character Alan Reed (Anthony Edwards). Although his role is exaggerated in the Netflix series, real-life Lance connected Anna with high-profile investment bankers, City National Bank and Fortress Investment group, who were helping her secure a $22 million loan to start ADF art club. When the loans didn’t go through, Lance became suspicious that he may have been mislead about Anna’s true identity. Today, Andrew Lance is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Real Estate Practice Group in New York City.
Did Shonda Rhimes meet Anna before she wrote Inventing Anna?
“I purposely did not meet her because A, she was in prison — pandemic at the time,” Rhimes told Variety. “But B, I didn’t meet her because I didn’t want to be influenced. Anna, as anybody can tell you, has a wildly charismatic personality, and I didn’t want to meet her and fall madly in love with her, and then be completely on her side. And I didn’t want to meet her and dislike her intensely and then be against her. I wanted to stick with the eyes of the reporter.”
Where was Inventing Anna filmed?
The limited series was filmed in New York, the playground for Anna Delvey’s con.
Is there a trailer for Inventing Anna?
Watch the first trailer for Inventing Anna here, which takes a look at the true story about one of the biggest fakes!
How many episodes are in Inventing Anna?
There are nine episodes in Inventing Anna.
Where can I watch and stream Inventing Anna?
Inventing Anna is part of Rhimes’ deal with Netflix, so it is running exclusively on the streamer, with all episodes available now.
Is Inventing Anna on Netflix?
Yes. Inventing Anna streams exclusively on Netflix. Next, Check Out Our Picks for the 101 Best TV Shows to Binge-Watch on Netflix Right Now!
