Inventing Anna, the new Shondaland series on Netflix about Anna Delvey (Julia Garner), the Russian-born faux heiress who elegantly finessed banks, hotels, and socialites out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, gives viewers lots of opportunities to ask this question. Is the reporter in Inventing Anna real?
Is the reporter in Inventing Anna real?
Yes, according to 7 sources. Inventing Anna is based on a true story surrounding Anna Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin. After being convicted of grand larceny and theft of service in 2019, she was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison, which she initially served in Riker’s Island.
Also, based on Jessica Pressler’s 2018 New York magazine feature on Delvey, Inventing Anna closely follows reporter Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), a fictionalized version of Pressler, as she attempts to connect Delvey’s dots and make her deadline.
Inventing Anna is as much Vivian’s story as it is Anna’s — in certain respects, they’re both doing the titular inventing. Vivian’s obsession with telling Anna’s story isn’t selfless; she’s trying to redeem herself from a recent career setback, and she’s using Anna to do so.
Vivian’s investment in Anna’s story isn’t just professional, it’s also personal, and leads their relationship to develop in unexpected ways. Throughout many visits with Anna, who is awaiting trial in a New York City jail.