Shonda Rhimes credits Anna Delvey's story with inspiring her to get back into writing

Shonda Rhimes has credited Anna Delvey's story with inspiring her to get back into screenwriting.

The prolific TV producer - known for creating Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal - has been focused on developing new shows in recent years.

However, when she read an article by Jessica Pressler about convicted con artist Delvey in New York Magazine, Rhimes couldn't wait to get back into screenwriting again.

"I really felt like I hadn't felt that excitement of a story that I wanted to tell and knew exactly how I wanted to tell it in a really long time," she said in a press interview for Netflix. "I was running on a treadmill when I read the article in New York Magazine about Anna Delvey, and I remember literally jumping off of the treadmill and calling my office."

Rhimes went on to describe how she was drawn to Delvey, who was arrested in 2017 for pretending to be a wealthy German heiress and defrauding or intentionally deceiving major financial institutions, banks, hotels, and acquaintances in America.

"There is something about this idea of somebody that age, a young woman building her way through the brawl that we can all relate to. She is a villain's villain, if you know what I mean," the 52-year-old continued. "You can't help but admire her, she's fascinating."

Inventing Anna, starring Julia Garner as Delvey, premiered on Netflix in February.