Who the Hell Is Anna Delvey?

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix


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In 2018, Jessica Pressler's New York Magazine story "How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People" captivated the country. The piece detailed the work of woman known as Anna Delvey (born Anna Sorokin), a fake heiress who conned her way into the upper echelons of New York society, lived for free in five-star hotels, and traveled the world on the dime of rich kids.

Now, a series about Delvey, called Inventing Anna, is in the works at Netflix. Here's everything we know about it so far.

The upcoming series pegs the question, "Who the hell is Anna Delvey?"

A teaser trailer for the soon-to-be released scammer series gives a glimpse of the fabricated life of Anna Delvey, as well as the New York Magazine journalist, Jessica Pressler, who was determined to undercover the faux heiress's double life.

Shonda Rhimes is executive producing.

Rhimes and her Shondaland partner, Betsy Beers, are executive producing Inventing Anna. this marks the first show Rhimes's is putting out after Scandal, according to Deadline. Netflix confirmed that the limited series drama will have 10 episodes.

It has a Devil Wears Prada connection.

David Frankel, who directed 2006's The Devil Wears Prada, as well as episodes series including Band of Brothers and AppleTV+'s upcoming The Morning Show, will direct two episodes of Inventing Anna, including the pilot.

Photo credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY - Getty Images
Photo credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY - Getty Images

The show is also sure to deliver a fair share of fashion moments, as teased in newly released images from Netflix.

Inventing Anna will film on location in New York.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will film in New York, where the real Delvey pulled off her con.

The series has officially been cast.

Netflix announced that the limited series will star Emmy-winner Julia Garner (Ozark, Dirty John, Modern Love) as Delvey. Veep's Anna Chlumsky will play Vivian, the journalist investigating Delvey's con. Scandal's Katie Lowes, Orange Is the New Black's Laverne Cox, and The Bold Type's Alexis Floyd have also been cast in the series.

Other cast members include:

  • Arian Moayed (Stewy in Succession) as Todd, Anna's lawyer

  • Anders Holm (Anders Holmvik in Workaholics) as Jack, Vivian's husband

  • Anna Deavere Smith (Gloria Akalitus in Nurse Jackie) as Maud, a journalist

  • Jeff Perry (Thatcher Grey in Grey's Anatomy), as Lou, an esteemed magazine boss

  • Terry Kinney (Hall in Billions), as Bary, a war correspondent

Photo credit: Steve Granitz - Getty Images
Photo credit: Steve Granitz - Getty Images

The series will also be about the journalist who works to expose Delvey.

Instead of focusing solely on Delvey's con, the series will also incorporate the reporting that brought her down. Netflix teased the plot in the official series description.

"In Inventing Anna, a journalist (Chlumsky) with a lot to prove investigates the case of Anna Delvey (Garner), the Instagram-legendary German heiress who stole the hearts of New York’s social scene — and stole their money as well. But is Anna New York’s biggest con woman or is she simply the new portrait of the American dream? Anna and the reporter form a dark funny love-hate bond as Anna awaits trial and our reporter fights the clock to answer the biggest question in NYC: Who is Anna Delvey?"

Inventing Anna will premiere in February 2022.

According to Netflix, the series is set to premiere February 11, 2022.

The trailer introduces Delvey in her own (fictionalized) words.

The full trailer for the series introduces us to Anna Delvey (Garner) as she has her first conversation with the journalist (Chulmsky) in jail, saying that the claims of her being a criminal are "not her story." Though the first scene shows the scammer in a prison uniform (and an interesting accent), flashbacks show her making her way through New York society, including several clips of her courting investors for an exclusive social club. The trailer also explains, "This story is completely true, except for the parts that are totally made up."

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