Is Netflix's Inventing Anna based on a true story? Explained

Is Netflix
Is Netflix's Inventing Anna based on a true story? Explained (Image Via Netflix)

Netflix’s Inventing Anna has captivated audiences with its tale of deception, glamour, and high society intrigue. Starring Julia Garner as Anna Delvey and Anna Chlumsky as Vivian Kent, a journalist investigating her story, the series unfolds the extraordinary true story of a young woman who posed as a wealthy German heiress in New York City.

Throughout the show, viewers are drawn into Anna’s web of lies as she manipulates those around her, from socialites to major financial institutions. The drama delves into her attempts to secure loans and live a luxurious life without the actual funds to support it.

While the story may seem too outrageous to be true, Inventing Anna is indeed based on real events. The show follows Anna Sorokin, a Russian-born con artist who adopted the persona of Anna Delvey. Her exploits were first brought to public attention through a 2018 New York Magazine article, which chronicled how Sorokin tricked New York's elite into funding her lavish lifestyle.

However, the series also acknowledges that some creative liberties have been taken for dramatic effect, as noted in the disclaimer at the start of each episode.


Is Netflix's Inventing Anna based on a true story?

Yes, as the title suggests, Netflix's Inventing Anna is a dramatization based on actual events. Simply put, the drama depicts the life of one Anna Sorokin aka Anna Delvey, who masqueraded as a wealthy German heiress but was a con artist who managed to swindle her way into the high-profile society of New York City.

This real-life story, which as most other captivating tales eventually do, began in "Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It," an article by Jessica Pressler that explained how Sorokin deceived the banks and hotels, high-end individuals, and others to subsidize her lavish living without actually being able to afford it.

There are some fictionalized details also inserted in the plot such as the role of Vivian Kent who is portrayed by Anna Chlumsky. She is represented in the series as a journalist somewhat similar to Pressler herself. However, the main premise remains the same.

The series portrays Anna's scale of deception, the extent of her deceit, her arrest, and several convictions of grand larceny and services fraud. In addition, it is the sensationalism of this life, which included numerous social functions, a luxurious hotel, and unsuccessful attempts to attract investments for a non-existent art fund that she planned to create.


Who Is Anna Delvey from Inventing Anna?

As the name of the German art thief Anna Sorokin is known in the media, Anna Delvey is fictitious. A Russian by birth, she was born in 1991. After moving to the United States in 2013, she made friends and pretended to be a German rich daughter.

She made them believe that she was a trust-fund baby who never had to work for money and traveled in five-star hotels, ate in posh cafes, and met with the big guns of the art world.

Later, Sorokin created further divisions between the rich and the poor, funding her lifestyle and lies by taking loans from individuals and institutions. In 2017, her reign of deception came to an end when she was arrested. Sorokin’s conviction for felonies occurring in 2019 overwhelmed her.

She received a prison sentence for state and services fraud. She earned the epithet, Soho Grifter after fooling people as no other was able to do. Several stories revolving around her were published in the papers.


More details on Inventing Anna

In the series, Inventing Anna, the audience is taken through the up-and-down journey of Anna Sorokin and her schemes, most especially on the extravagant lifestyle that she was able to uphold as a result of her con. The purpose of the show is to depict how the con artist was able to deceive ordinary people and institutions like hotels, banks, or even her friends to maintain the false persona.

A particular arc that the series portrays includes characters such as Rachel (Katie Lowes) and Neff (Alexis Floyd) who are real people who met Anna in New York and were part of her stories.

Apart from the dramatic portrayal of the events, most of the series is consistent with the story of Anna Sorokin. Inventing Anna is currently streaming on Netflix.


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Edited by Apoorva Jujjavarapu
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