March 30, 2022 • 42 mins
This episode features a conversation with the real Neff Davis, the hotel concierge who befriended Anna Delvey.
Neff was loyal to Anna throughout the turmoil of her arrest and trial, going so far as to create an Instagram account for Anna’s “trial style.” In this interview, she shares what her thought process was behind creating that account, what it’s been like being a part of the Shondaland production, and so much more.
Neff and Stacey discuss Neff’s experiences with the fake heiress by reflecting on specific scenes from the show. Neff is still in touch with Anna and she sets the record straight about the nature of their friendship. Finally, Neff shares about her own aspirations as an aspiring filmmaker and where her life is headed now.
To catch up before you listen, make sure you binge Inventing Anna the series on Netflix now. Please rate, review, subscribe and share Inventing Anna: The Official Podcast with everyone you know.
Follow host Stacey Wilson Hunt @galinhollywood on Instagram and Twitter.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Inventing Anna the Official Podcast is a production of Shondaland
Audio and partnership with I Heart Radio. Welcome to Inventing
Anna the Official Podcast, your exclusive look inside the making
of the Shondaland series on Netflix. I'm your host, Stacy
Wilson Hunt, and today I'm talking to the one and
(00:21):
only Nef Davis. Nef, of course, is the hotel concierge
an aspiring filmmaker who befriended Anna Delve. She was also
the mastermind behind her now infamous trial style Instagram account.
I hope you enjoy my chat with Nef about what
her life has been like since the series premiered, her
experiences being on set during production, how she feels about
the series overall, and her ongoing relationship with Anna Delvi. Hi, Nef,
(00:53):
it's so nice to have you on our podcast. How
are you, hi, Stacy, I'm great. Before we get into
some details about the show, firstly, I just want to
know what has your life been like since the show premiered.
My life has been amazing since the show premiered. From
the fans that are contacting me telling me they wish
(01:13):
they had enough friend in their life, I'm like, why
am I verified on Instagram. So much fun to just
see the reactions from the show and finally having people
in the film industry interested in my scripts and my
(01:34):
capabilities and film color theory. So it's been amazing. Oh,
I'm so happy to hear that. And I will actually
want to ask you more questions about what you're working on,
but we'll do that later in the show. I'd love
to know what has most surprised you about the way
inventing Anna has resonated with fans. I think what has
most surprised me is how so many people want to
(01:56):
know how me and in this friendship started, how is
it going? They want to see pictures of us. It's
like they're very fascinated by the nothing and the friendship.
And I thought that her crimes and the luxe life
that she lived before even meeting me was more interesting
(02:19):
than our friendship. But I'm actually shocked that a lot
of people want to know were you really friends with her? Yes,
that does seem to be a through line and found
interest because it does seem like a really fascinating relationship.
And you know, the centerpiece of this whole series is
asking the question, who is Anna delbe right So for
(02:39):
our purposes today, since this is all about you, I
want to ask who is Nef Davis? Wow? Nef Davis
is colorful, She's confident, she knows the right people, the
wrong people. I'm the honest person in people's life lives.
(03:00):
So I think net is a a badass my thirties.
I can claim that and be okay with it. I'm confident.
I love film, so I would just describe myself simply
as a snaphowl. All right, let's fast forward to eighteen.
How did you feel when you first found out that
Shawonda Rhimes was going to adapt Jessica Pressler's article for Netflix.
(03:24):
What were your first feelings. My first feelings were the
outfits are gonna be amazing. So I was so excited
about the clothing. But that was just like, Shonda Rhimes
knows my name. You know, Gray's Anatomy has been coming
on since I was in Middleton. I was so excited.
I'm a huge fan of Shonda. And you served as
(03:45):
a consultant on inventing Anna, and I would love to
know what were your conversations like with Shawonda, the researcher
and the writer's room and helping educate them about this story. So,
as a consultant for the show, your main person that
you're in contact with is the head of research, which
was Melissa Lowe. So she became like what we called
(04:08):
my email best friend. We sent emails back and forth,
and one day she sent me an email and said, Okay,
you're about to join the writer's room on like a
zoom like introduction and Sean's is going to be in
the room. And I was like, oh my gosh, my
hair isn't done. I wasn't prepared for this. She was like,
it's gonna be tomorrow. I'm We're going to do it.
(04:28):
You know. It was the pandemic, you know. So I
was able to be in the room with them and
just talk about who net is, like I'm doing with
you and my personality, how I felt about every single
character in the show, and they were like just taking
notes and asking questions, and I was like, Wow, I'm
really going to be contributing to something that is huge.
(04:52):
And at that very moment, I knew I had made
the right decision given my life rights to them because
I was so involved, you know. So I was just
so excited to be able to actually get invited on
set by Shanda Shawna Land and Shonda Rhymes were the
only people who came to me and said, oh, we
don't just want to use your life rights, we want
(05:14):
you to consult. So I knew I had made the
right decision. That's really nice, And I'd love to know
what were they most interested in about you that surprised you.
I'm asking me about how an employee that works at
the hotel, how did they come to work? Like what
do you do? What door do you enter? Do you
(05:36):
take your uniform home? And I'm like letting them know, no,
did you never take your uniform home? It gets washed
and clean there. They were like, okay, so who's in
the locker room. I'm like, oh, it's me, it's housekeeping,
it's the like cool, cool restaurant workers, it's all of
us there. And so just the process of getting to
know one of my favorite roles I've ever had in
(05:58):
my life, being a siurge was just so surprising but
amazing to me because I wanted them to get that right,
because I knew all of my concierge friends would be watching, right,
and I imagine they're a tough crowd because that's a
really hard job, right, Oh yeah, like it's so stuffy.
Because we know everyone, we can get into all of
(06:19):
the places. So a lot of them watched the show
and was like, oh, so you told them about the
database and I was like, no, I didn't even tell
them about the database. They was like, so how do
they know. I'm like, they're Shonda Land, They're gonna know
about the database. So here in to see the mention
the union and different things that I knew hospitality workers
(06:40):
would really enjoy. I love that. What were you saying
to them? The most important thing that you need to
know about this show is what The most important thing
you need to know is that I'm loyal to Anna,
but I'm not a dummy. I'm friends with Anna, but
I do have boundaries, and most importantly, Anna will never
(07:02):
come before my money, and I think they made that
very clear in the show that, Okay, when it starts
to affect next job in her career and her money,
Anna has to go. That's great, And I'm gonna ask
you more about your impressions of the series in a
little bit, but I do want to talk about meeting
and working with Alexis Floyd, the amazing actor who plays
(07:25):
nef in the series. What questions do you remember Alexis
asking of you in that first meeting. I remember she
asked me, so are you still friends with Anna? I
remember she asked me my favorite nail polished color, what
kind of lipstick I would wear? How did I wear
me hair to the gym? How did I wear my
hair to work? And I was like, wow, she's studying me.
(07:47):
And then she was like, can I record you? And
I was like yeah, and she was like, it's just
for me. I was like, go ahead, So now I see.
It was to pick up on my accent and things
like that. So it was amazing. So you were able
to act should be on set during production of Inventing Anna?
What was it like to be in the presence of
this strange world in which these real life events that
(08:09):
took place in your life for being recreated for television.
It was mind blowing. I never expected to be on set,
but I got an email one day from a producer
that said, Shonda Rhimes wants you to come in and
she wants you to to shadow this director who's gonna be
doing scenes that don't evolve Alexis. So I'm not like
(08:29):
standing over Alexis, but there will be other scenes for
Casey's character and for Rachel's character. And I was like,
I'm on my way and it feels surreal because they're
remaking a workout scene and I'm like, wow, this is
how Casey Dukes is, you know. So it was amazing
to be on set and to be able to be
(08:50):
around in Zinga, who's an amazing director, and she was
showing me, you know, how she controls the set and
all of the express of kim us. It was just
like I was a kid. It felt amazing. I was
so happy. And were there any revelations that came up
for you personally being on that set. Did you find
yourself feeling reflective or having any epiphanies about this whole
(09:14):
experience and how did that feel? The number one thing
that I took from being on set is that this
agism that I had made up in my head that oh,
I'm never going to reach my dreams, I mean my
thirties now. And as I looked around, everyone that's on
set is older than me, and they're like in their
(09:36):
dream job, and they told me how many years it
took them to get there. So it was at that
very moment where I realized, as long as I'm my life,
it's never too late. So I know that probably isn't
what you meant by that question, but that's what I
took from it, that, Wow, I can reach this still
like it's not too late enough. I love that, and
(09:57):
I've actually had those experiences myself where I meet maybe
a first time director who's fifty, it's never too late.
And before we talk about the show, I did want
to reference something that you said in an interview recently,
which is the writing on Inventing Anna is so well
done that people aren't able to separate the real NUF
from the TV NEF. And I'd love for you to
expand a little bit on that. You know, there's maybe
(10:19):
a curse to the writing being so good that people
don't realize that's not me, but it is you. So
tell me a little bit about balancing that dichotomy. Yes,
because the writing is so amazing, shout out to the
whole writer's room. They just did an amazing job making
Nef so real and so relatable. But I have people
(10:39):
d em me me like, why are you screaming at
a billboard instead of being at work? And how could
you afford a goochy person? You worked at the concierge desk,
and I'm like, wow, they're examining everything, so it's like
little things and obviously things about my loyalty with Anna
that they kind of added a little ice in too,
(11:01):
just to show people the role of me being the
supportive friend. But it was a lot of things that
I kind of laughed because I was like, oh, the
show net is doing way more than what the real
net would do for Anna. But I thought that it
was super cute to show a loyalty that couldn't be broken.
I agree the complexities of a female friendship, but it's
(11:22):
a lot to explore, right, Yes, definitely. Let's rewind back
to you and you're working as a cossierge and soho
and Anna Delbe walks into your life, quite literally, walks
into your workspace. What do you remember about that day?
Take us back to that moment where you first saw her.
So I'm sitting at the desk on the second floor.
(11:45):
We had a huge group check in from a client
that usually lets their people stay at our hotel. So
I'm drained, and this woman walks up with these huge
celine glasses. This oversized black rick awash at shirt in
Alexander Wayne legends that are sharing seek through a little
too revealing to be walking around, you know, a hotel
(12:08):
like a like Howard and she just walks up to
my desk and she's like, I need a reservation, and
I was like, oh hi, I'm Nev and she just
put the hundred dollars on my desk. At that very moment.
The first thing I said, what's your last name? Because
I knew for her to give me a hundred dollars
(12:29):
before I even gave her a reservation or got to
know her, that she must be here for a while.
And when she told me Delvy, I looked it up
and she said that she would be here a month.
So I remember just looking at her and thinking, who
is this woman that will be here a month? And
why is she at this hotel? So you did have
(12:51):
some initial skepticism of who she was and why she
was there, and the fact you didn't know her last name.
You probably wondered, hey, I've never heard of this person,
and suddenly she's here for a month. Yes, I definitely
google every guest because sometimes you have people stay and
you're like, oh, he's like one of the founders of Google,
but you don't know because you don't know the name.
(13:12):
When I google the name, nothing came up with party pictures.
So I was like, okay, social light easy, you know.
So I directed her to different spots that she should
go to. And the first place that I recommended her
was like who coo? And she was like, oh, okay,
I'd rather just go to the butcher's daughter and I
was like, oh okay. So it was really interesting to
(13:33):
get to know and at that very moment because from
that very moment she never left me alone. That definitely
comes through in the show as well. And I was
curious in the hotel world, is there really a dry
race board that tracks v i P guests? Yes, So
when you are coming into work, there's a dryer race
(13:54):
board and you have one column that says v I P.
And it's not always someone famous. Could just be someone
that is a big spender. It could be someone that
has stayed with us and complained about her bed learning before.
So you just want to make sure that a v
I P is someone that never has to complain ever. Again,
(14:14):
I love that. So every character in the show seems
to have a different idea of the source of Anna's wealth.
What was your impression at the time of where she
got her money. She never really indicated it, but I
always thought, oh, like, a white woman with a lot
of money in New York isn't something that should really question.
It's just normal. Maybe her dad is giving her money.
(14:36):
And she was always saying, my day gave me this,
my dad gave me that. So I was like, okay,
rich white woman. It didn't really make me ask her
until it became like whoa, she must have a lot
of money because her spending became, you know, out of control.
And how would you describe your dynamic with Anna early on?
Did you feel like friends out of the gate or
(14:57):
was was there getting to know you period? Well, we're
not allowed to frighten eze in hotels, so I definitely
kept my distance at first, But then she would just
come and sit at my desk from seven thirty am
until I clocked out at eleven pm. So, like I
told Jessica Pressler, this is someone that wanted my time
(15:17):
and she wasn't going to allow me to escape it.
We talked about art, we talked about music and hip
hop and me living in Harlem, and her wanting to
visit Harlem. So it was kind of one of those
things where we weren't friends, but she kind of made
us friends, which made me like her because I thought, Wow,
someone of your status wants to be friends with me,
(15:39):
and it's natural, Hey why not? Absolutely and actually mentioned
going to Harlem. Alexis Floyd shared with us that you
took Anna to Harlem to a restaurant. What was that
experience like? So hearing Anna in the car listening to
hip hop, Little Wayne and different artists as we head
to Harlem, and I'm like, you want to come to
the hood? Okay? Bucka love and she definitely was like, yeah,
(16:02):
I want to go. I was like, Anna, be careful.
So we went to Harlem. She enjoyed it, And honestly,
at that very moment, I should have realized that this
woman had a lot more in common than me than
what I had known it because me and Anna at
that time really had the same amount of money when
it came to legit money. I just didn't know. You know,
(16:22):
she didn't come from much. You know, her dad had
a truck business, and just like my parents, her parents
had to work. We just didn't know that Anna wasn't
who she said she was, so hearing you talk about it,
there's almost a sort of sadness there because the two
of you could have connected on other levels at the time.
(16:43):
Had you known her real story, there could have been
an even deeper friendship there. But I'm so glad I
didn't know. I didn't want to be an accessory. I
tell people all the time. If Anna had told me,
I wouldn't have went to the law, but I definitely
would have been like, I can't be spending this money
at you. I can't be getting pedicures and hanging out
with you. So in the way, she protected me from
(17:05):
her crimes by not telling me, even though we could
have bonded, I would have had to separate myself just
because as a black woman, we go down and I
didn't want anything to get pinned on me. So I'm
so happy I didn't know she was a scammer. We're
happy for you. By the way, Okay, there's still so
(17:27):
much more to hear. Please don't go anywhere. Okay, ready
to hear more. Let's do it. So. We see some
(17:51):
glimmers of Anna's vulnerable side throughout the series, namely in
scenes with Valve and then Chase towards the beginning of
their relationship hip, and also with Todd and even some
moments with Vivian. But I don't try to say that
Anna probably feels the most comfortable and true and authentic
when she's with enough. How much does that ring true
(18:12):
for you? I think about seventy five percent. I think
that Anna was never the real Anna with anyone. So
I don't want to just sit here and be like, hey,
I know the real Anna, because I still don't know
a lot about her, But I know that one thing
we did that she never really did with other people.
We ate good. I noticed that when Anna was with
(18:33):
other people, you just have her wine, but with me,
eat those cards, you know what I mean? Like, I
don't have anything against people that want to be themselves
around me, and I think that's what Anna took advantage
of being herself around me, because I am someone that
is an empathy and I'm like, wow, like this woman
has all of these business ideas and no one is
(18:56):
her real friend. Let me be her real friends. So yeah,
I definitely feel like I knew seventy five percent of
the real Anna. Wow. When you're someone who shows empathy
that can also open you up to vulnerability for yourself,
and maybe that was a kind of kindness that Anna
hadn't felt before. Yes, Hannah is really good at pulling
(19:17):
at your heart strings. She's definitely one of those people
that when you meet her, you know you've never met
anyone like her, because she's really good at making you
feel feels. It's like, do I feel bad for her? No?
But should I feel bad for her? Maybe? And that's
what Anna is a master at making you feel feels
(19:39):
And those are the people you have to watch. And
how accurately do you think the show portrays your friendship
with Anna? Yes? I think it definitely felt accurate because
I mean, of course there were some things where I
was like, I wouldn't beg Rachel to come to Rikers,
but I would call Rachel out for wearing clothes that
Anna purchase. So I think it was a good balance
(20:01):
of real life nev and the nef they wrote for
the show. But I think as far as the friendship, yeah,
they definitely got it. I'm still loyal to Anna. I
do have my boundaries where I don't answer every phone call,
I haven't visited her and Ice, But as far as
if someone was to ask me, you know, how do
you feel about Anna, I'm like, that's my girl. We
(20:21):
all make mistakes and I'm not one to judge. I'm
just human, you know. Wow, that's very generous of you.
So there's so many wonderful scenes in the show where
it seems Nef gets to be her true enough self,
so to speak, and so all the qualities that now
I'm realizing that you actually share with the enough we
see on screen. Do you have any favorite scenes that
(20:41):
stick out for you in the series? Wow? So many.
I love the scene where Julia, who portrays Anna, she
has on this beautiful lavender suit and she's like banging
on the window as Nef is walking by with this
orange dress. Yeah, yeah, are you from what you look like?
(21:12):
And I knew that Shonda land took that moment from
when I told them and I had purchased me a
rare orange shirt. So that one moment where Alexis, who
plays me, says, you know that's my color. I know
it's something so simple, but like forever people will know
how much I love the color orange. And it was
(21:32):
so accurate when he came to me and Anna's relationship
and friendship. While I would tell her, no, don't buy
me anything, and she's like, I already purchased it. I
love that part the most. It's actually one of my
favorite scenes to Good One. I'd love to reflect a
little bit on some scenes in the series that also
have a direct correlation to real life events, and one
(21:53):
of the most pivotal moments is when the character of
Vivian finds Neff at the hotel, as Nef becomes her
sort of portal to understanding more about Anna. I don't
need you to convince Anna if she's going to respect me.
I'm pretty sure I have to do that myself, but
I need to know what does Anna want. So of course,
(22:18):
in real life, that was Jessica Pressler who contacted you.
What was your first meeting like with Jessica. Well, when
I first met Jessica, she had deemed me on Twitter
and said, hey, I'm a reporter. I was like, no,
you're not. She said, I am. I really want to
meet up with you. So I was like, okay, I'll go.
And we met at a cafe and I was so scared.
(22:40):
I brought a weapon with me because um strange your danger.
But then it's this woman whose stomach is sticking out
and she's pregnant. She has this huge smile and she's
so sweet. So my first impression was like, wow, Jessica
is a badass. And I mean she went to Rikers
pregnant so many different occasions. I just thought, Wow, this woman,
(23:00):
it's pregnant and she's still doing her job and she's
not complaining, and we're meeting up all different times of
the day, talking late at night. And then once I
realized what she was creating and writing, I was like wow, yes,
because as an amazing writer, I mean I didn't know
the New York Meg article would blow up, but I
was like, wow, this isn't good hands. So almost similarly
(23:24):
how you felt when you found out Shawna was going
to make the show, right, that sense of care and
empathy and respect that they were giving the material. Yes,
and she really got to know me. Even though there
were times where I was like, Okay, you're being too
pushy because it felt like a journalist is like trying
to know everything about your life. What I realized was
(23:44):
she was actually about to change my life because if
she didn't write the New York Meg article, I mean
we wouldn't be talking right now. So I'm so appreciative
of Jessica, and I'm glad that we both had patience
for one another, and we still remain friends now to
this day. I talked to her yesterday, so it was
amazing to be able to put my story in her hands,
(24:06):
and then she put her story. Is Seana the Goat?
I love that, and that's of course the greatest of
all time. In case people are not understanding that reference,
yes you know. Episode two introduces us to an interesting
conflict between Nef and Casey where Enough feels strongly that
they should go visit Anna in prison, and Casey essentially
(24:27):
tells her the person who's sitting at Rikers is not
the person you thought you knew as a friend. Do
you really want to go down there, walk into that
prison and find out the person you thought was one
of your closest friends it was just a made up character.
Tell me what your experience was like visiting Rikers and
what was your dynamic with Anna when you were in
(24:48):
the prison seeing her. Rikers was horrible. I know that
they do not like the people that are visiting the
inmates because the inmates put them through hell and make
sure they let you know you're being searched three different times,
exactly how they showed in the show. But Anna needed
some panies and some magazines. It was just like to
(25:11):
me and I was locked up in a foreign country
and I didn't have a single family member and I
had one home girl that can drop me off some
clean panties and some magazines. I would hope she would
go through what I went through to bring them to me.
And it was one of those things where I realized, oh,
I'm never coming to jail, just based on, you know,
the smell, the attitude. It was just one of those
(25:35):
things where I was like, you know what, Anna, I'm
bringing you this, but I'm never coming back. So Rikers
wasn't the best experience for me at all. And I
was just grateful that Anna actually left Rikers and went
upstate because then I didn't have to visit anymore. Right,
So episode five introduces us to another interesting dynamic. There's
(25:57):
a great scene with Nothing, her boyfriend in the show
where he kind of outlines why he feels suspective Anna
and her intentions with enough, but he does seem to
agree with one of Anna's guiding principles, which is, if
you want something, you have to do something about it.
Stop counting money in a shoebox de side this apartment,
go after what you want. How did it feel for
(26:20):
you watching that scene in terms of the way Anna
influenced you to pursue your filmmaking career. Wow? I mean
for Anna, every time I came to work, she would
tell me to quit and pick up a camera, or
quit and go to the movies. In Anna's mind is
sort of like a fairy tale. So once I got
(26:40):
to know her, I realized, like, yeah, she is pushing
me to be better and to be a director, But realistically,
she's not thinking about bills. She's not thinking about my
student loans that I already have. So it was interesting
that I had this woman that would always tell me
I'm going to be the reason you're a famous film director.
I'm going to be the reason why people know you
(27:01):
as Neft the filmmaker, But wasn't really putting any money
behind my dreams. Something that's really interesting throughout the series
is how we see Anna become vulnerable around her friend.
We don't really see that side of her unless she's
with Nef and there's a really beautiful scene. Actually, the
two of you in her sweet in her bed, just
sort of hanging out like friends, very intimate what your
(27:24):
parents like mm hmm. Mainly Mom and me. We've always
been super closed, like clothes, like pretzels, wrapped up on
each other's midness. That came to New York to figure
out who I am without it? Who are you? Walk
(27:50):
me through how that felt for you to watch that
scene and was there a real life moment for you
where you felt that way. You can still see her
face and just how hers were so rosy and her
hair was so distressed, and I just remember, like, Wow,
I don't ever want to open up an art exhibit
if this is what I'm gonna look like. It feel
(28:10):
like now looking back, it was because it was all crimily.
The loans weren't going through, the bank accounts were getting negative,
her dad isn't speaking to her, her family lawyer isn't real,
and I'm just like, wow, she held it together for
someone that was going through so much and scamming so many.
I had no idea, but that's one of my mom's
(28:33):
favorite scenes, maybe because I mentioned my mom, so I
was so happy that Shawna Land put that in there
because it really did happen, and it was one of
the probably the most intimate moments I had with Anna
was when we were just closing the room together and
she could show some type of emotion. Wow. We've talked
(28:53):
about the idea that your character and obviously you in
real life, had to learn how to set some boundaries
with Anna. And there is that moment where this hits
fever pitch in the series where we see the character
of the confronting Anna when now that she knows a
bit more about her situation, saying, you need to handle
your business. What are you going on about? I'm on
the line here, Okay, no one has heard of you.
(29:15):
I put you on every list. I'll put you on
the v IP board. You won't put a credit card
down at the hotel. Your cards don't even work. I
paid for that dinner. I'm broke and I need this job,
and your bill is over thirty thousand dollars. Tell me
what the real life interaction was when this took place,
and how you felt in that moment and to what
(29:36):
degree were you scared for yourself and your financial future.
I was definitely afraid not to lose my job because
I didn't check Anna in, So whoever checked Anna in
didn't request a credit card from her. But these are
still people that I care about, that I work with,
and now that I have this friendship with her, and
(29:56):
I realized that some of the food that she's been
charged gene from the restaurant downstairs, I actually ate and
it's going to her room, but there's no card down
Now it's thirty thousand dollars and my managers are looking
at me and they're like, enough, this is your friend,
this is your home. Girl, get our money, because if
(30:17):
you don't get the money, then you could get in
trouble for frightenizing. I wouldn't lose my job because union.
But it's still one of those things where you're like, wow,
I've been friends with this woman and she's not gonna
pay a bill. No, you need to pay it. So
I approached her. I believe it was over the phone,
and I said, Anna, we're gonna lock you out your room.
(30:37):
And I remember being nervous because I didn't want to
disappoint her or my manager, but I was like, they're
gonna lock you out your room. You need to pay
this bill. And I was like, what's the big deal? Okay,
I'll pay you guys. And I'm just thinking, like my
heart is beating so fast, like, what's the big deal?
This is thirty thousand dollars? Like this isn't something that
(30:58):
we let happen. You told us you would. Why are
this money? Right? And you know we get to episode nine,
the final episode, and the infamous trial style instagram feed,
Well your styles hook up the one hand does wrappers,
Natasha h All you thinking, Tralt, I'm thinking like, HB
I C. It's like also like young in Cockatte, like
(31:19):
Lalita meets Mildred Peers. But like, now, what purpose did
you see personally at the time of doing that trial
style Instagram account? Were you trying to exert some control
on Anna's behalf or were you just having fun? What
was your state of mind? What I thought was, Okay,
if I was on trial, how could I get the
attention off of my bad crime? And you know, I
(31:42):
thought of Lindsey Lohan. I said, oh, fashion, if you
make the focus something other than what she's doing, because
her saying not guilty and the Rachel stuff, I was like, yeah,
it's time to exchanges and make it about fashion because
New York is love and it worked because all of
(32:02):
the articles stopped being about her being a scammer and
made it about what she was wearing. She's not even
wearing anything fancy. It was just things that you could
find at the mall. And then bringing in my stylish friend,
who I ended up paying because I know that's something
people had a question, like how could Anna afford the
stylust I ended up paying for the stylist. I realized that, oh,
(32:26):
this is gonna add to like the Anna Delvie character
where of course she has a stylist while in jail.
It was just funny. So you really saw it more
as adding some levity to kind of a difficult situation. Yeah,
and I just wanted to prove how easy the media is.
Like I knew the media was easy, but I never
(32:46):
had a chance to really do it on my own.
So I kind of used Anna as practice, Like watch this,
I'll create an instagram, I'll name it Anna Delvie Court Looks,
and everyone would be focused on what she's wearing instead
of her crimes. Boom, The New York Time Times, Vogue, Harper's.
Everyone is just writing about what she's wearing. I was like,
these people are so easy. And how do you think
(33:09):
the Instagram account impacted Anna's trial outcome? Oh? It was horrible.
I think it worked against her ultimately, and I did
feel bad, you know, once I realized the judge was
saying Anna was treating it like a fashion show, but
it was already done. So I was like, oops, but
at least we're talking about clothes. I love clothes. Well,
(33:31):
you definitely changed the conversation until the very last moment.
Don't go anywhere. There's more from behind the scenes of
inventing Anna. Right after this, Hi, everyone, We're back. Are
(33:56):
you ready? So, you know, after we see the show
run its course, we see episode nine, the viewers sort
of left to ask him or herself who is Anna
Delvie and who is anasorgan? Now, if I ask you
that question today, what is your answer? Who Anna? I
(34:21):
don't know. I don't know how to put it into words,
but I will say that Anna that I know is
someone who you know. She definitely lacks that care that
we should have as humans, but she's also been through
a lot of things as a young child, as someone
(34:41):
that you know, grew up way different than other people
that we just don't know about So for me to
try to define who she is, I guess I won't
know until she completely tells us her truth. And even
at that point, how do we know it's the truth.
But I will say that she definitely is a businesswoman.
She might not be the best at getting her business together,
(35:05):
but if she did have a moment or a chance
to do it in a legit way, I know she
would have really accomplished it because look at how many
people really believed in her. She's a businesswoman, She's highly intelligent.
She plays dumb when she knows certain people need her
to play dumb, but she's very very smart. So don't
(35:28):
sleep on her. Do not sleep on her. That is
good advice. And how would you say this experience of
knowing Anna and also having seen the show and being
a part of this experience, how has this changed you
as a person. Well, I already didn't have many friends,
but I'm definitely double checking friendships now, like, hmmm, are
(35:49):
you who you say you are? Because for Anna to
trick me, and I'm really good with people and New
Yorkers and I've met so many different people working at
the hotel, I'm like, wow, I gotta get tightened up.
I have to get better at, you know, reading people.
So definitely I look at friendships a lot different. And
(36:10):
I also learned not to rush things. I think if
Anna had did it in the legit way and didn't
rush things and didn't feel like time was against her,
you know, maybe this will be a different story. Maybe
it would be about the woman that did lie about
being an heir to some money but still did something legit.
(36:31):
So yeah, I definitely learned that that I can take
my time, do it the right way, and most importantly,
be careful who you call a friend. Lucky for me,
I'm not telling the story of having a bill that
I had to cover on my credit card, and I'm
telling the story that Shanda Rhimes wrote a character about me.
So if it worked out so it could be worse, right,
(36:53):
So most importantly for enough, what are your hopes for
yourself in the next few years? What are you doing professionally?
And how has the sex parents hope to inform your
artistic vision. Wow, So I try not to think by
the year, but I can think by the month. And
I've been writing scripts that I actually like that show
that Sisterhood that nothing Anna had so I'm very much
(37:16):
inspired by the writing of Inventing Anna. Of course, I'm
a huge fan of Sex in the City and Girlfriends
and Living Single and all those type of shows that
showed girls coming together. I hope to have a deal
with Netflix or any type of program or outlet where
(37:38):
I can show my own art or work on art
that they're creating. I just moved to l A, So
and I love it here. I love the weather. I
hope to connect with other creatives that might need help
on their set. So for enough, what I see for
her is someone that is doing what she says she
would do. It took a lot longer than what I expected,
(37:59):
but again, in time is on my side. So as
long as I'm doing something with color theory, cinematography, scriptwriting,
or film, I'll be happy. And is there anything that
you would love for people to know about you that
either we didn't get to see explored in the show,
or just something maybe a misconception or setting the record
straight on something that you feel has been misinterpreted. I
(38:21):
think my friendship with Anna and her being a white
woman in me being a black woman. A lot of times,
the things that people are sending me is, oh, well,
you're coming off as the help or you're coming off
as even a strong term like a slave. And I
just wanted to be clear that the role of the
concierge and other concierges and people on hospitality will be
(38:43):
able to vouch. That's our job. Our job isn't to
ever say no. So in parts of the show where
you might think that I'm just bowing to Anna by
bringing champagne to her table, that's normal. And you should
stay at better tales because you make the same treatment
if you just upgraded and stayed at a nice boutique
(39:05):
hotel or a luxury hotel and bother the concierge death.
They want to do these things for you. So I
just wanted to make it clear that that was a job.
I'm not a push over in real life. I understand
the differences that white women and black women have in
all industries and in the world. But hey, me and
Anna were friends, and I don't have many white home girls,
(39:29):
but she's one of them, and that's okay because sometimes
you become friends with people that are from different places
and it just works out. So I just wanted to
make that clear that is a fantastic way to end
this conversation. You've been so amazing enough and I didn't
think I could ever learn more about the show, and
here you are making me look at it in a
different way all over again. And we're so honored that
(39:50):
you took the time and really just thank you for
sharing your perspective on Anna. It continues to be an
evolving process of understanding her and understanding you, so thank
you so much. You're so welcome, and I'm so happy
that you had me on because at first I didn't
want to do the show because I felt like, oh,
this isn't right because Anna won't be involved because she
was in jail. But Anna encouraged it because she said,
(40:12):
enjoy the fame, enjoy the interviews, enjoyed the money. And
I was like, but and I feel bad, and she
was like, why I took from you. It's okay for
you to take from me. If anybody I would want
to talk about me, it would be you. So well,
thank you so much for your time. This has really
been super fun. Thank you so much. I'm so appreciative,
(40:34):
and I just hope that everyone continues to learn from
Anna's because there are a lot of Anna's in this world,
but it's okay to be a knot, and all the
knots out there keep working hard, right, yes, yes, yes,
(40:55):
Come back next week from my chat with Laverne Cox,
the Emmy winning actor who plays Casey Duke, Ana's personal
trainer and life coach. She'd a workout video that's only
available on h S and I found it on Amazon
and ordered it, and how to find a VHS player
but I did, I couldn't, so I've got the VHS
transfer to digital so I could watch the workout take.
(41:17):
If you're enjoying this show, subscribe, share with your friends,
rate and leave us a review. All that good stuff.
And if you haven't finished binging Shonda Lands Inventing Anna
on Netflix, please go do that. We don't want to
spoil it for you. Inventing Anna the Official Podcast is
executive produced by Sandy Bailey, Lauren Homan, Tyler Klang, and
(41:39):
Gabrielle Collins. Our producer and editor is Nicholas Harder, and
the show was produced and hosted by me Stacy Wilson Hunt.
Inventing Anna the Official Podcast is a production of Shondaland
Audio in partnership with I heart Rate video. For more
(42:01):
podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Inventing Anna the Official Podcast is a production of Shondaland
Audio and partnership with I Heart Radio. Welcome to Inventing
Anna the Official Podcast, your exclusive look inside the making
of the Shondaland series on Netflix. I'm your host, Stacy
Wilson Hunt, and today I'm talking to the one and
(00:21):
only Nef Davis. Nef, of course, is the hotel concierge
an aspiring filmmaker who befriended Anna Delve. She was also
the mastermind behind her now infamous trial style Instagram account.
I hope you enjoy my chat with Nef about what
her life has been like since the series premiered, her
experiences being on set during production, how she feels about
the series overall, and her ongoing relationship with Anna Delvi. Hi, Nef,
(00:53):
it's so nice to have you on our podcast. How
are you, hi, Stacy, I'm great. Before we get into
some details about the show, firstly, I just want to
know what has your life been like since the show premiered.
My life has been amazing since the show premiered. From
the fans that are contacting me telling me they wish
(01:13):
they had enough friend in their life, I'm like, why
am I verified on Instagram. So much fun to just
see the reactions from the show and finally having people
in the film industry interested in my scripts and my
(01:34):
capabilities and film color theory. So it's been amazing. Oh,
I'm so happy to hear that. And I will actually
want to ask you more questions about what you're working on,
but we'll do that later in the show. I'd love
to know what has most surprised you about the way
inventing Anna has resonated with fans. I think what has
most surprised me is how so many people want to
(01:56):
know how me and in this friendship started, how is
it going? They want to see pictures of us. It's
like they're very fascinated by the nothing and the friendship.
And I thought that her crimes and the luxe life
that she lived before even meeting me was more interesting
(02:19):
than our friendship. But I'm actually shocked that a lot
of people want to know were you really friends with her? Yes,
that does seem to be a through line and found
interest because it does seem like a really fascinating relationship.
And you know, the centerpiece of this whole series is
asking the question, who is Anna delbe right So for
(02:39):
our purposes today, since this is all about you, I
want to ask who is Nef Davis? Wow? Nef Davis
is colorful, She's confident, she knows the right people, the
wrong people. I'm the honest person in people's life lives.
(03:00):
So I think net is a a badass my thirties.
I can claim that and be okay with it. I'm confident.
I love film, so I would just describe myself simply
as a snaphowl. All right, let's fast forward to eighteen.
How did you feel when you first found out that
Shawonda Rhimes was going to adapt Jessica Pressler's article for Netflix.
(03:24):
What were your first feelings. My first feelings were the
outfits are gonna be amazing. So I was so excited
about the clothing. But that was just like, Shonda Rhimes
knows my name. You know, Gray's Anatomy has been coming
on since I was in Middleton. I was so excited.
I'm a huge fan of Shonda. And you served as
(03:45):
a consultant on inventing Anna, and I would love to
know what were your conversations like with Shawonda, the researcher
and the writer's room and helping educate them about this story. So,
as a consultant for the show, your main person that
you're in contact with is the head of research, which
was Melissa Lowe. So she became like what we called
(04:08):
my email best friend. We sent emails back and forth,
and one day she sent me an email and said, Okay,
you're about to join the writer's room on like a
zoom like introduction and Sean's is going to be in
the room. And I was like, oh my gosh, my
hair isn't done. I wasn't prepared for this. She was like,
it's gonna be tomorrow. I'm We're going to do it.
(04:28):
You know. It was the pandemic, you know. So I
was able to be in the room with them and
just talk about who net is, like I'm doing with
you and my personality, how I felt about every single
character in the show, and they were like just taking
notes and asking questions, and I was like, Wow, I'm
really going to be contributing to something that is huge.
(04:52):
And at that very moment, I knew I had made
the right decision given my life rights to them because
I was so involved, you know. So I was just
so excited to be able to actually get invited on
set by Shanda Shawna Land and Shonda Rhymes were the
only people who came to me and said, oh, we
don't just want to use your life rights, we want
(05:14):
you to consult. So I knew I had made the
right decision. That's really nice, And I'd love to know
what were they most interested in about you that surprised you.
I'm asking me about how an employee that works at
the hotel, how did they come to work? Like what
do you do? What door do you enter? Do you
(05:36):
take your uniform home? And I'm like letting them know, no,
did you never take your uniform home? It gets washed
and clean there. They were like, okay, so who's in
the locker room. I'm like, oh, it's me, it's housekeeping,
it's the like cool, cool restaurant workers, it's all of
us there. And so just the process of getting to
know one of my favorite roles I've ever had in
(05:58):
my life, being a siurge was just so surprising but
amazing to me because I wanted them to get that right,
because I knew all of my concierge friends would be watching, right,
and I imagine they're a tough crowd because that's a
really hard job, right, Oh yeah, like it's so stuffy.
Because we know everyone, we can get into all of
(06:19):
the places. So a lot of them watched the show
and was like, oh, so you told them about the
database and I was like, no, I didn't even tell
them about the database. They was like, so how do
they know. I'm like, they're Shonda Land, They're gonna know
about the database. So here in to see the mention
the union and different things that I knew hospitality workers
(06:40):
would really enjoy. I love that. What were you saying
to them? The most important thing that you need to
know about this show is what The most important thing
you need to know is that I'm loyal to Anna,
but I'm not a dummy. I'm friends with Anna, but
I do have boundaries, and most importantly, Anna will never
(07:02):
come before my money, and I think they made that
very clear in the show that, Okay, when it starts
to affect next job in her career and her money,
Anna has to go. That's great, And I'm gonna ask
you more about your impressions of the series in a
little bit, but I do want to talk about meeting
and working with Alexis Floyd, the amazing actor who plays
(07:25):
nef in the series. What questions do you remember Alexis
asking of you in that first meeting. I remember she
asked me, so are you still friends with Anna? I
remember she asked me my favorite nail polished color, what
kind of lipstick I would wear? How did I wear
me hair to the gym? How did I wear my
hair to work? And I was like, wow, she's studying me.
(07:47):
And then she was like, can I record you? And
I was like yeah, and she was like, it's just
for me. I was like, go ahead, So now I see.
It was to pick up on my accent and things
like that. So it was amazing. So you were able
to act should be on set during production of Inventing Anna?
What was it like to be in the presence of
this strange world in which these real life events that
(08:09):
took place in your life for being recreated for television.
It was mind blowing. I never expected to be on set,
but I got an email one day from a producer
that said, Shonda Rhimes wants you to come in and
she wants you to to shadow this director who's gonna be
doing scenes that don't evolve Alexis. So I'm not like
(08:29):
standing over Alexis, but there will be other scenes for
Casey's character and for Rachel's character. And I was like,
I'm on my way and it feels surreal because they're
remaking a workout scene and I'm like, wow, this is
how Casey Dukes is, you know. So it was amazing
to be on set and to be able to be
(08:50):
around in Zinga, who's an amazing director, and she was
showing me, you know, how she controls the set and
all of the express of kim us. It was just
like I was a kid. It felt amazing. I was
so happy. And were there any revelations that came up
for you personally being on that set. Did you find
yourself feeling reflective or having any epiphanies about this whole
(09:14):
experience and how did that feel? The number one thing
that I took from being on set is that this
agism that I had made up in my head that oh,
I'm never going to reach my dreams, I mean my
thirties now. And as I looked around, everyone that's on
set is older than me, and they're like in their
(09:36):
dream job, and they told me how many years it
took them to get there. So it was at that
very moment where I realized, as long as I'm my life,
it's never too late. So I know that probably isn't
what you meant by that question, but that's what I
took from it, that, Wow, I can reach this still
like it's not too late enough. I love that, and
(09:57):
I've actually had those experiences myself where I meet maybe
a first time director who's fifty, it's never too late.
And before we talk about the show, I did want
to reference something that you said in an interview recently,
which is the writing on Inventing Anna is so well
done that people aren't able to separate the real NUF
from the TV NEF. And I'd love for you to
expand a little bit on that. You know, there's maybe
(10:19):
a curse to the writing being so good that people
don't realize that's not me, but it is you. So
tell me a little bit about balancing that dichotomy. Yes,
because the writing is so amazing, shout out to the
whole writer's room. They just did an amazing job making
Nef so real and so relatable. But I have people
(10:39):
d em me me like, why are you screaming at
a billboard instead of being at work? And how could
you afford a goochy person? You worked at the concierge desk,
and I'm like, wow, they're examining everything, so it's like
little things and obviously things about my loyalty with Anna
that they kind of added a little ice in too,
(11:01):
just to show people the role of me being the
supportive friend. But it was a lot of things that
I kind of laughed because I was like, oh, the
show net is doing way more than what the real
net would do for Anna. But I thought that it
was super cute to show a loyalty that couldn't be broken.
I agree the complexities of a female friendship, but it's
(11:22):
a lot to explore, right, Yes, definitely. Let's rewind back
to you and you're working as a cossierge and soho
and Anna Delbe walks into your life, quite literally, walks
into your workspace. What do you remember about that day?
Take us back to that moment where you first saw her.
So I'm sitting at the desk on the second floor.
(11:45):
We had a huge group check in from a client
that usually lets their people stay at our hotel. So
I'm drained, and this woman walks up with these huge
celine glasses. This oversized black rick awash at shirt in
Alexander Wayne legends that are sharing seek through a little
too revealing to be walking around, you know, a hotel
(12:08):
like a like Howard and she just walks up to
my desk and she's like, I need a reservation, and
I was like, oh hi, I'm Nev and she just
put the hundred dollars on my desk. At that very moment.
The first thing I said, what's your last name? Because
I knew for her to give me a hundred dollars
(12:29):
before I even gave her a reservation or got to
know her, that she must be here for a while.
And when she told me Delvy, I looked it up
and she said that she would be here a month.
So I remember just looking at her and thinking, who
is this woman that will be here a month? And
why is she at this hotel? So you did have
(12:51):
some initial skepticism of who she was and why she
was there, and the fact you didn't know her last name.
You probably wondered, hey, I've never heard of this person,
and suddenly she's here for a month. Yes, I definitely
google every guest because sometimes you have people stay and
you're like, oh, he's like one of the founders of Google,
but you don't know because you don't know the name.
(13:12):
When I google the name, nothing came up with party pictures.
So I was like, okay, social light easy, you know.
So I directed her to different spots that she should
go to. And the first place that I recommended her
was like who coo? And she was like, oh, okay,
I'd rather just go to the butcher's daughter and I
was like, oh okay. So it was really interesting to
(13:33):
get to know and at that very moment because from
that very moment she never left me alone. That definitely
comes through in the show as well. And I was
curious in the hotel world, is there really a dry
race board that tracks v i P guests? Yes, So
when you are coming into work, there's a dryer race
(13:54):
board and you have one column that says v I P.
And it's not always someone famous. Could just be someone
that is a big spender. It could be someone that
has stayed with us and complained about her bed learning before.
So you just want to make sure that a v
I P is someone that never has to complain ever. Again,
(14:14):
I love that. So every character in the show seems
to have a different idea of the source of Anna's wealth.
What was your impression at the time of where she
got her money. She never really indicated it, but I
always thought, oh, like, a white woman with a lot
of money in New York isn't something that should really question.
It's just normal. Maybe her dad is giving her money.
(14:36):
And she was always saying, my day gave me this,
my dad gave me that. So I was like, okay,
rich white woman. It didn't really make me ask her
until it became like whoa, she must have a lot
of money because her spending became, you know, out of control.
And how would you describe your dynamic with Anna early on?
Did you feel like friends out of the gate or
(14:57):
was was there getting to know you period? Well, we're
not allowed to frighten eze in hotels, so I definitely
kept my distance at first, But then she would just
come and sit at my desk from seven thirty am
until I clocked out at eleven pm. So, like I
told Jessica Pressler, this is someone that wanted my time
(15:17):
and she wasn't going to allow me to escape it.
We talked about art, we talked about music and hip
hop and me living in Harlem, and her wanting to
visit Harlem. So it was kind of one of those
things where we weren't friends, but she kind of made
us friends, which made me like her because I thought, Wow,
someone of your status wants to be friends with me,
(15:39):
and it's natural, Hey why not? Absolutely and actually mentioned
going to Harlem. Alexis Floyd shared with us that you
took Anna to Harlem to a restaurant. What was that
experience like? So hearing Anna in the car listening to
hip hop, Little Wayne and different artists as we head
to Harlem, and I'm like, you want to come to
the hood? Okay? Bucka love and she definitely was like, yeah,
(16:02):
I want to go. I was like, Anna, be careful.
So we went to Harlem. She enjoyed it, And honestly,
at that very moment, I should have realized that this
woman had a lot more in common than me than
what I had known it because me and Anna at
that time really had the same amount of money when
it came to legit money. I just didn't know. You know,
(16:22):
she didn't come from much. You know, her dad had
a truck business, and just like my parents, her parents
had to work. We just didn't know that Anna wasn't
who she said she was, so hearing you talk about it,
there's almost a sort of sadness there because the two
of you could have connected on other levels at the time.
(16:43):
Had you known her real story, there could have been
an even deeper friendship there. But I'm so glad I
didn't know. I didn't want to be an accessory. I
tell people all the time. If Anna had told me,
I wouldn't have went to the law, but I definitely
would have been like, I can't be spending this money
at you. I can't be getting pedicures and hanging out
with you. So in the way, she protected me from
(17:05):
her crimes by not telling me, even though we could
have bonded, I would have had to separate myself just
because as a black woman, we go down and I
didn't want anything to get pinned on me. So I'm
so happy I didn't know she was a scammer. We're
happy for you. By the way, Okay, there's still so
(17:27):
much more to hear. Please don't go anywhere. Okay, ready
to hear more. Let's do it. So. We see some
(17:51):
glimmers of Anna's vulnerable side throughout the series, namely in
scenes with Valve and then Chase towards the beginning of
their relationship hip, and also with Todd and even some
moments with Vivian. But I don't try to say that
Anna probably feels the most comfortable and true and authentic
when she's with enough. How much does that ring true
(18:12):
for you? I think about seventy five percent. I think
that Anna was never the real Anna with anyone. So
I don't want to just sit here and be like, hey,
I know the real Anna, because I still don't know
a lot about her, But I know that one thing
we did that she never really did with other people.
We ate good. I noticed that when Anna was with
(18:33):
other people, you just have her wine, but with me,
eat those cards, you know what I mean? Like, I
don't have anything against people that want to be themselves
around me, and I think that's what Anna took advantage
of being herself around me, because I am someone that
is an empathy and I'm like, wow, like this woman
has all of these business ideas and no one is
(18:56):
her real friend. Let me be her real friends. So yeah,
I definitely feel like I knew seventy five percent of
the real Anna. Wow. When you're someone who shows empathy
that can also open you up to vulnerability for yourself,
and maybe that was a kind of kindness that Anna
hadn't felt before. Yes, Hannah is really good at pulling
(19:17):
at your heart strings. She's definitely one of those people
that when you meet her, you know you've never met
anyone like her, because she's really good at making you
feel feels. It's like, do I feel bad for her? No?
But should I feel bad for her? Maybe? And that's
what Anna is a master at making you feel feels
(19:39):
And those are the people you have to watch. And
how accurately do you think the show portrays your friendship
with Anna? Yes? I think it definitely felt accurate because
I mean, of course there were some things where I
was like, I wouldn't beg Rachel to come to Rikers,
but I would call Rachel out for wearing clothes that
Anna purchase. So I think it was a good balance
(20:01):
of real life nev and the nef they wrote for
the show. But I think as far as the friendship, yeah,
they definitely got it. I'm still loyal to Anna. I
do have my boundaries where I don't answer every phone call,
I haven't visited her and Ice, But as far as
if someone was to ask me, you know, how do
you feel about Anna, I'm like, that's my girl. We
(20:21):
all make mistakes and I'm not one to judge. I'm
just human, you know. Wow, that's very generous of you.
So there's so many wonderful scenes in the show where
it seems Nef gets to be her true enough self,
so to speak, and so all the qualities that now
I'm realizing that you actually share with the enough we
see on screen. Do you have any favorite scenes that
(20:41):
stick out for you in the series? Wow? So many.
I love the scene where Julia, who portrays Anna, she
has on this beautiful lavender suit and she's like banging
on the window as Nef is walking by with this
orange dress. Yeah, yeah, are you from what you look like?
(21:12):
And I knew that Shonda land took that moment from
when I told them and I had purchased me a
rare orange shirt. So that one moment where Alexis, who
plays me, says, you know that's my color. I know
it's something so simple, but like forever people will know
how much I love the color orange. And it was
(21:32):
so accurate when he came to me and Anna's relationship
and friendship. While I would tell her, no, don't buy
me anything, and she's like, I already purchased it. I
love that part the most. It's actually one of my
favorite scenes to Good One. I'd love to reflect a
little bit on some scenes in the series that also
have a direct correlation to real life events, and one
(21:53):
of the most pivotal moments is when the character of
Vivian finds Neff at the hotel, as Nef becomes her
sort of portal to understanding more about Anna. I don't
need you to convince Anna if she's going to respect me.
I'm pretty sure I have to do that myself, but
I need to know what does Anna want. So of course,
(22:18):
in real life, that was Jessica Pressler who contacted you.
What was your first meeting like with Jessica. Well, when
I first met Jessica, she had deemed me on Twitter
and said, hey, I'm a reporter. I was like, no,
you're not. She said, I am. I really want to
meet up with you. So I was like, okay, I'll go.
And we met at a cafe and I was so scared.
(22:40):
I brought a weapon with me because um strange your danger.
But then it's this woman whose stomach is sticking out
and she's pregnant. She has this huge smile and she's
so sweet. So my first impression was like, wow, Jessica
is a badass. And I mean she went to Rikers
pregnant so many different occasions. I just thought, Wow, this woman,
(23:00):
it's pregnant and she's still doing her job and she's
not complaining, and we're meeting up all different times of
the day, talking late at night. And then once I
realized what she was creating and writing, I was like wow, yes,
because as an amazing writer, I mean I didn't know
the New York Meg article would blow up, but I
was like, wow, this isn't good hands. So almost similarly
(23:24):
how you felt when you found out Shawna was going
to make the show, right, that sense of care and
empathy and respect that they were giving the material. Yes,
and she really got to know me. Even though there
were times where I was like, Okay, you're being too
pushy because it felt like a journalist is like trying
to know everything about your life. What I realized was
(23:44):
she was actually about to change my life because if
she didn't write the New York Meg article, I mean
we wouldn't be talking right now. So I'm so appreciative
of Jessica, and I'm glad that we both had patience
for one another, and we still remain friends now to
this day. I talked to her yesterday, so it was
amazing to be able to put my story in her hands,
(24:06):
and then she put her story. Is Seana the Goat?
I love that, and that's of course the greatest of
all time. In case people are not understanding that reference,
yes you know. Episode two introduces us to an interesting
conflict between Nef and Casey where Enough feels strongly that
they should go visit Anna in prison, and Casey essentially
(24:27):
tells her the person who's sitting at Rikers is not
the person you thought you knew as a friend. Do
you really want to go down there, walk into that
prison and find out the person you thought was one
of your closest friends it was just a made up character.
Tell me what your experience was like visiting Rikers and
what was your dynamic with Anna when you were in
(24:48):
the prison seeing her. Rikers was horrible. I know that
they do not like the people that are visiting the
inmates because the inmates put them through hell and make
sure they let you know you're being searched three different times,
exactly how they showed in the show. But Anna needed
some panies and some magazines. It was just like to
(25:11):
me and I was locked up in a foreign country
and I didn't have a single family member and I
had one home girl that can drop me off some
clean panties and some magazines. I would hope she would
go through what I went through to bring them to me.
And it was one of those things where I realized, oh,
I'm never coming to jail, just based on, you know,
the smell, the attitude. It was just one of those
(25:35):
things where I was like, you know what, Anna, I'm
bringing you this, but I'm never coming back. So Rikers
wasn't the best experience for me at all. And I
was just grateful that Anna actually left Rikers and went
upstate because then I didn't have to visit anymore. Right,
So episode five introduces us to another interesting dynamic. There's
(25:57):
a great scene with Nothing, her boyfriend in the show
where he kind of outlines why he feels suspective Anna
and her intentions with enough, but he does seem to
agree with one of Anna's guiding principles, which is, if
you want something, you have to do something about it.
Stop counting money in a shoebox de side this apartment,
go after what you want. How did it feel for
(26:20):
you watching that scene in terms of the way Anna
influenced you to pursue your filmmaking career. Wow? I mean
for Anna, every time I came to work, she would
tell me to quit and pick up a camera, or
quit and go to the movies. In Anna's mind is
sort of like a fairy tale. So once I got
(26:40):
to know her, I realized, like, yeah, she is pushing
me to be better and to be a director, But realistically,
she's not thinking about bills. She's not thinking about my
student loans that I already have. So it was interesting
that I had this woman that would always tell me
I'm going to be the reason you're a famous film director.
I'm going to be the reason why people know you
(27:01):
as Neft the filmmaker, But wasn't really putting any money
behind my dreams. Something that's really interesting throughout the series
is how we see Anna become vulnerable around her friend.
We don't really see that side of her unless she's
with Nef and there's a really beautiful scene. Actually, the
two of you in her sweet in her bed, just
sort of hanging out like friends, very intimate what your
(27:24):
parents like mm hmm. Mainly Mom and me. We've always
been super closed, like clothes, like pretzels, wrapped up on
each other's midness. That came to New York to figure
out who I am without it? Who are you? Walk
(27:50):
me through how that felt for you to watch that
scene and was there a real life moment for you
where you felt that way. You can still see her
face and just how hers were so rosy and her
hair was so distressed, and I just remember, like, Wow,
I don't ever want to open up an art exhibit
if this is what I'm gonna look like. It feel
(28:10):
like now looking back, it was because it was all crimily.
The loans weren't going through, the bank accounts were getting negative,
her dad isn't speaking to her, her family lawyer isn't real,
and I'm just like, wow, she held it together for
someone that was going through so much and scamming so many.
I had no idea, but that's one of my mom's
(28:33):
favorite scenes, maybe because I mentioned my mom, so I
was so happy that Shawna Land put that in there
because it really did happen, and it was one of
the probably the most intimate moments I had with Anna
was when we were just closing the room together and
she could show some type of emotion. Wow. We've talked
(28:53):
about the idea that your character and obviously you in
real life, had to learn how to set some boundaries
with Anna. And there is that moment where this hits
fever pitch in the series where we see the character
of the confronting Anna when now that she knows a
bit more about her situation, saying, you need to handle
your business. What are you going on about? I'm on
the line here, Okay, no one has heard of you.
(29:15):
I put you on every list. I'll put you on
the v IP board. You won't put a credit card
down at the hotel. Your cards don't even work. I
paid for that dinner. I'm broke and I need this job,
and your bill is over thirty thousand dollars. Tell me
what the real life interaction was when this took place,
and how you felt in that moment and to what
(29:36):
degree were you scared for yourself and your financial future.
I was definitely afraid not to lose my job because
I didn't check Anna in, So whoever checked Anna in
didn't request a credit card from her. But these are
still people that I care about, that I work with,
and now that I have this friendship with her, and
(29:56):
I realized that some of the food that she's been
charged gene from the restaurant downstairs, I actually ate and
it's going to her room, but there's no card down
Now it's thirty thousand dollars and my managers are looking
at me and they're like, enough, this is your friend,
this is your home. Girl, get our money, because if
(30:17):
you don't get the money, then you could get in
trouble for frightenizing. I wouldn't lose my job because union.
But it's still one of those things where you're like, wow,
I've been friends with this woman and she's not gonna
pay a bill. No, you need to pay it. So
I approached her. I believe it was over the phone,
and I said, Anna, we're gonna lock you out your room.
(30:37):
And I remember being nervous because I didn't want to
disappoint her or my manager, but I was like, they're
gonna lock you out your room. You need to pay
this bill. And I was like, what's the big deal? Okay,
I'll pay you guys. And I'm just thinking, like my
heart is beating so fast, like, what's the big deal?
This is thirty thousand dollars? Like this isn't something that
(30:58):
we let happen. You told us you would. Why are
this money? Right? And you know we get to episode nine,
the final episode, and the infamous trial style instagram feed,
Well your styles hook up the one hand does wrappers,
Natasha h All you thinking, Tralt, I'm thinking like, HB
I C. It's like also like young in Cockatte, like
(31:19):
Lalita meets Mildred Peers. But like, now, what purpose did
you see personally at the time of doing that trial
style Instagram account? Were you trying to exert some control
on Anna's behalf or were you just having fun? What
was your state of mind? What I thought was, Okay,
if I was on trial, how could I get the
attention off of my bad crime? And you know, I
(31:42):
thought of Lindsey Lohan. I said, oh, fashion, if you
make the focus something other than what she's doing, because
her saying not guilty and the Rachel stuff, I was like, yeah,
it's time to exchanges and make it about fashion because
New York is love and it worked because all of
(32:02):
the articles stopped being about her being a scammer and
made it about what she was wearing. She's not even
wearing anything fancy. It was just things that you could
find at the mall. And then bringing in my stylish friend,
who I ended up paying because I know that's something
people had a question, like how could Anna afford the
stylust I ended up paying for the stylist. I realized that, oh,
(32:26):
this is gonna add to like the Anna Delvie character
where of course she has a stylist while in jail.
It was just funny. So you really saw it more
as adding some levity to kind of a difficult situation. Yeah,
and I just wanted to prove how easy the media is.
Like I knew the media was easy, but I never
(32:46):
had a chance to really do it on my own.
So I kind of used Anna as practice, Like watch this,
I'll create an instagram, I'll name it Anna Delvie Court Looks,
and everyone would be focused on what she's wearing instead
of her crimes. Boom, The New York Time Times, Vogue, Harper's.
Everyone is just writing about what she's wearing. I was like,
these people are so easy. And how do you think
(33:09):
the Instagram account impacted Anna's trial outcome? Oh? It was horrible.
I think it worked against her ultimately, and I did
feel bad, you know, once I realized the judge was
saying Anna was treating it like a fashion show, but
it was already done. So I was like, oops, but
at least we're talking about clothes. I love clothes. Well,
(33:31):
you definitely changed the conversation until the very last moment.
Don't go anywhere. There's more from behind the scenes of
inventing Anna. Right after this, Hi, everyone, We're back. Are
(33:56):
you ready? So, you know, after we see the show
run its course, we see episode nine, the viewers sort
of left to ask him or herself who is Anna
Delvie and who is anasorgan? Now, if I ask you
that question today, what is your answer? Who Anna? I
(34:21):
don't know. I don't know how to put it into words,
but I will say that Anna that I know is
someone who you know. She definitely lacks that care that
we should have as humans, but she's also been through
a lot of things as a young child, as someone
(34:41):
that you know, grew up way different than other people
that we just don't know about So for me to
try to define who she is, I guess I won't
know until she completely tells us her truth. And even
at that point, how do we know it's the truth.
But I will say that she definitely is a businesswoman.
She might not be the best at getting her business together,
(35:05):
but if she did have a moment or a chance
to do it in a legit way, I know she
would have really accomplished it because look at how many
people really believed in her. She's a businesswoman, She's highly intelligent.
She plays dumb when she knows certain people need her
to play dumb, but she's very very smart. So don't
(35:28):
sleep on her. Do not sleep on her. That is
good advice. And how would you say this experience of
knowing Anna and also having seen the show and being
a part of this experience, how has this changed you
as a person. Well, I already didn't have many friends,
but I'm definitely double checking friendships now, like, hmmm, are
(35:49):
you who you say you are? Because for Anna to
trick me, and I'm really good with people and New
Yorkers and I've met so many different people working at
the hotel, I'm like, wow, I gotta get tightened up.
I have to get better at, you know, reading people.
So definitely I look at friendships a lot different. And
(36:10):
I also learned not to rush things. I think if
Anna had did it in the legit way and didn't
rush things and didn't feel like time was against her,
you know, maybe this will be a different story. Maybe
it would be about the woman that did lie about
being an heir to some money but still did something legit.
(36:31):
So yeah, I definitely learned that that I can take
my time, do it the right way, and most importantly,
be careful who you call a friend. Lucky for me,
I'm not telling the story of having a bill that
I had to cover on my credit card, and I'm
telling the story that Shanda Rhimes wrote a character about me.
So if it worked out so it could be worse, right,
(36:53):
So most importantly for enough, what are your hopes for
yourself in the next few years? What are you doing professionally?
And how has the sex parents hope to inform your
artistic vision. Wow, So I try not to think by
the year, but I can think by the month. And
I've been writing scripts that I actually like that show
that Sisterhood that nothing Anna had so I'm very much
(37:16):
inspired by the writing of Inventing Anna. Of course, I'm
a huge fan of Sex in the City and Girlfriends
and Living Single and all those type of shows that
showed girls coming together. I hope to have a deal
with Netflix or any type of program or outlet where
(37:38):
I can show my own art or work on art
that they're creating. I just moved to l A, So
and I love it here. I love the weather. I
hope to connect with other creatives that might need help
on their set. So for enough, what I see for
her is someone that is doing what she says she
would do. It took a lot longer than what I expected,
(37:59):
but again, in time is on my side. So as
long as I'm doing something with color theory, cinematography, scriptwriting,
or film, I'll be happy. And is there anything that
you would love for people to know about you that
either we didn't get to see explored in the show,
or just something maybe a misconception or setting the record
straight on something that you feel has been misinterpreted. I
(38:21):
think my friendship with Anna and her being a white
woman in me being a black woman. A lot of times,
the things that people are sending me is, oh, well,
you're coming off as the help or you're coming off
as even a strong term like a slave. And I
just wanted to be clear that the role of the
concierge and other concierges and people on hospitality will be
(38:43):
able to vouch. That's our job. Our job isn't to
ever say no. So in parts of the show where
you might think that I'm just bowing to Anna by
bringing champagne to her table, that's normal. And you should
stay at better tales because you make the same treatment
if you just upgraded and stayed at a nice boutique
(39:05):
hotel or a luxury hotel and bother the concierge death.
They want to do these things for you. So I
just wanted to make it clear that that was a job.
I'm not a push over in real life. I understand
the differences that white women and black women have in
all industries and in the world. But hey, me and
Anna were friends, and I don't have many white home girls,
(39:29):
but she's one of them, and that's okay because sometimes
you become friends with people that are from different places
and it just works out. So I just wanted to
make that clear that is a fantastic way to end
this conversation. You've been so amazing enough and I didn't
think I could ever learn more about the show, and
here you are making me look at it in a
different way all over again. And we're so honored that
(39:50):
you took the time and really just thank you for
sharing your perspective on Anna. It continues to be an
evolving process of understanding her and understanding you, so thank
you so much. You're so welcome, and I'm so happy
that you had me on because at first I didn't
want to do the show because I felt like, oh,
this isn't right because Anna won't be involved because she
was in jail. But Anna encouraged it because she said,
(40:12):
enjoy the fame, enjoy the interviews, enjoyed the money. And
I was like, but and I feel bad, and she
was like, why I took from you. It's okay for
you to take from me. If anybody I would want
to talk about me, it would be you. So well,
thank you so much for your time. This has really
been super fun. Thank you so much. I'm so appreciative,
(40:34):
and I just hope that everyone continues to learn from
Anna's because there are a lot of Anna's in this world,
but it's okay to be a knot, and all the
knots out there keep working hard, right, yes, yes, yes,
(40:55):
Come back next week from my chat with Laverne Cox,
the Emmy winning actor who plays Casey Duke, Ana's personal
trainer and life coach. She'd a workout video that's only
available on h S and I found it on Amazon
and ordered it, and how to find a VHS player
but I did, I couldn't, so I've got the VHS
transfer to digital so I could watch the workout take.
(41:17):
If you're enjoying this show, subscribe, share with your friends,
rate and leave us a review. All that good stuff.
And if you haven't finished binging Shonda Lands Inventing Anna
on Netflix, please go do that. We don't want to
spoil it for you. Inventing Anna the Official Podcast is
executive produced by Sandy Bailey, Lauren Homan, Tyler Klang, and
(41:39):
Gabrielle Collins. Our producer and editor is Nicholas Harder, and
the show was produced and hosted by me Stacy Wilson Hunt.
Inventing Anna the Official Podcast is a production of Shondaland
Audio in partnership with I heart Rate video. For more
(42:01):
podcasts from Shondaland Audio, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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