“Anna Delvey is a masterpiece, bitches,” grinds Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in the first trailer for Shondaland’s newest show, Inventing Anna, which we can now announce will premiere February 11 on Netflix.
While the teaser offers us just a glimpse of what’s to come in the upcoming series, we’re still left to wonder — who is Anna really? Before finding out just how Shonda Rhimes will offer her unique take on the tale of this Russian socialite sorceress who managed to dupe so many in New York City’s upper echelons, enjoy the scintillating first look at Inventing Anna.
The limited series will spin the tale of one of the now most infamous names in New York City: Anna Delvey aka Anna Sorokin. Alongside Garner as Delvey, Anna Chlumsky co-stars as the journalist who broke the story on this social-climbing wannabe heiress, and she’ll be joined by talent like Laverne Cox, Katie Lowes, Alexis Floyd, Arian Moyed, Anders Holm, and Jeff Perry.
In an age of Elizabeth Holmeses, Billy MacFarlands, and those who would regularly wield deception to gain power, Delvey is among the most intriguing. Created and written by Rhimes, Inventing Anna was inspired by Jessica Pressler’s New York Magazine article, “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People,” and the series (on which Pressler is also a producer) will breathe visually narrative life into the story of how the NYC elite were scammed out of their millions by Delvey’s grandiose plans that included a fake arts foundation and private members social club. Despite finding her way into these most elite of circles, Delvey was eventually made, convicted of multiple counts of felony charges, served time in prison, and is now facing deportation back to her home country of Germany.
As the ramp-up to the premiere builds, we’ve got a few more Inventing Anna treats in which to indulge: a teaser poster and a few more photos featuring Garner, Chlumsky, Cox, Lowes, and more.
The core group of Delvey’s followers included Vanity Fair photo editor Rachel Deloache Williams (played by Lowes), celebrity trainer and life coach Kacy Duke (Cox), and aspiring filmmaker and hotel concierge Neff (Floyd). The four were invited by Delvey on a lavish last-minute trip to Marrakesh, sans cost. But Williams ended up unwittingly footing the $62,000 bill for the five-star hotel, indulgent spa treatments, top-tier dining, and round-the-clock drivers. It was Williams who actually penned the first story about her so-called friend, and exposed the Delvey’s antics in a Vanity Fair takedown.
Chlumsky portrays Vivian, a fictional version of Jessica Pressler, who broke the full story on Delvey’s swindling in a New York Magazine expose that is the inspiration for the Netflix show. Flanked here by her co-workers, Barry (Terry Kinney), Maud (Anna Deveare Smith in center right), and Lou (Jeff Perry), they all help Vivian to dig into this supposed Russian heiress with a $60 million trust fund only to find out, eventually, that she is from a working-class family of Russian immigrants living in Germany.
Delvey defense attorney, Todd Spodek (played by Succession’s Arian Moyed), was skilled in his attempts to help her out of the charges that eventually sentenced Delvey to 12 years at Rikers Island Prison. But even his carefully curated styling of the fake heiress during her trial couldn’t save her. She was paroled in early 2021 for good behavior but was caught by ICE while on the run in Malibu and is now in custody awaiting possible deportation.
If you enjoyed these tidbits from Inventing Anna, keep an eye on this space for more insider info as we near the 2022 premiere of the series. Believe us, there’s so much more to come.
Valentina Valentini is a London-based entertainment, travel, and food writer and also a Senior Contributor for Shondaland. Elsewhere she has written for Vanity Fair, Vulture, Variety, Thrillist, Heated, and The Washington Post. Her personal essays can be read in the Los Angeles Times, Longreads, and her tangents and general complaints can be seen on Twitter at @ByValentinaV.
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