Anna Delvey Speaks Out About The Netflix Series Based On Her Life

While the life and crimes of convicted con artist Anna Delvey seemed to lose public interest following her February 2021 release from prison (and then once more after she was detained by ICE authorities weeks later), her story still has a few unfinished chapters. On February 11, a renewed interest in Delvey (real name: Anna Sorokin) arrived in full force thanks to the release of the Shonda Rhimes-produced Netflix limited series "Inventing Anna." Tenuously based on the grifts masterminded by Delvey, a Russian-born middle-class girl who tricked banks — and, in one case, her best friend — out of tens of thousands of dollars while pretending to be a German socialite and heiress, "Inventing Anna" pointed the spotlight once again on Delvey. The interest was enough for outlets like Insider and The New York Times to reach out to Delvey, who as of this writing remains in ICE custody.

Speaking with the Times for a February 14 interview, Delvey was quick to point out how her current situation is diametrically opposite to her life at the height of her con, filled with glamorous parties, designer clothes, and luxury hotels. "I feel like I changed immensely just due to the fact that I've been exposed to so many people and just seeing other people's walks of life," said Delvey, who has expressed a desire to work for prison reform following her 2021 release. She appears to have the same attitude when it comes to "Inventing Anna."

As to whether Anna Delvey (depicted by Julia Garner, pictured above, in "Inventing Anna") had any thoughts or feelings about the Netflix limited series based on her life, the once-heralded "fake heiress of Soho" pulled no punches in making her feelings acutely clear. In a February 2 essay Delvey wrote for Insider, the former convict put any speculation to rest as to whether she would watch the series loosely based on her life. "It doesn't look like I'll be watching "Inventing Anna" anytime soon," Delvey stated. "Even if I were to pull some strings and make it happen, nothing about seeing a fictionalized version of myself in this criminal-insane-asylum setting sounds appealing to me," she added, referring to the contrast between her living conditions as an ICE detainee and the glamour-like aesthetics prevalent throughout the series. 

She also seemingly criticized the show for shifting the point of view to another protagonist. (In "Inventing Anna," a fictionalized journalist named Vivian Kent, based on the real-life reporter who wrote the article the show is based on, serves as the series' main POV.) She wrote, "While I'm curious to see how they interpreted all the research and materials provided, I can't help but feel like an afterthought, the somber irony of being confined to a cell at yet another horrid correctional facility lost between the lines, the history repeating itself."