Netflix's latest true crime drama Inventing Anna has certainly got people talking. From Julia Garner's Anna Delvey accent to the bizarre divide between critical and fan reception. Well, now things are getting even more dramatic, after Anna's former best friend and author of My Friend Anna has spoken out against the Shonda Rhimes series saying the show is "running a con woman’s PR."
As you'll likely already know, Williams - who lost $62,000 (£45,554) to her former friend's scams - is the author of the hit book My Friend Anna which brought the story of Anna's cons to light after it was published in 2019, following on from a Vanity Fair story also written by Williams.
Of course the story has moved on a lot since then with Anna (real name Anna Sorokin) being charged and tried for her crimes and Netflix recently released a true crime drama starring Ozark's Julia Garner all about Anna's actions.
While the entertainment world has been loving the drama, Williams recently issued a statement criticising the show for portraying a "dangerous distortion" of the events.
"This show is playing a fine line – peddling it as a true story, but also [in the title sequence disclaimer] saying, 'except all the parts that aren't,'" Williams told the Vanity Fair newsletter, adding, "At what point is the half-truth more dangerous than the lie?"
"I think promoting this whole narrative and celebrating a sociopathic, narcissistic, proven criminal is wrong," she continued. "Having had a front-row seat to [the Anna show] for far too long, I’ve studied the way a con works more than anybody needs to. You watch the spectacle, but you’re not paying attention to what’s being marketed.
"Netflix isn’t just putting out a fictional story. It’s effectively running a con woman’s PR – and putting money in her pocket."
Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to Netflix for comment.
