Julia Garner‘s accent in Inventing Anna is jarring to say the least.
Like, it’s so shocking, the first episode should have a 5-minute opening scene explaining that this is what the real Anna Delvey sounds like. But since that scene doesn’t exist, we feel we must explain the origins of the fake German heiress’ unique accent.
The story begins on Jan. 23, 1991 in the Russian village of Domodedevo, where Delvey was born Anna Sorokin. Her parents were two members of the working class, with The Cut article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” (which inspired the series) stating her father was a truck driver and businessman.
Then, in 2007, the Sorokins left Russia for the small German town of Eschweiler, a move that was a huge adjustment for the then-16-year-old Anna. Her former classmates told the magazine that they remember her being “quiet, with an unwieldy command of German.”
It’s unclear if she knew English at this point, but she began learning the language after moving to London to attend Central Saint Martins College. Although, The Cut reports that she dropped out and decided to take a fashion internship in Berlin.