Uber TV producer Shonda Rhimes seems to have a Rolodex of favorite actors she keeps reusing, from “Off the Map” to “For the People,” “Grey’s Anatomy” to “Scandal.”
In her new Netflix show, “Inventing Anna,” the mostly true story of Manhattan conwoman Anna Delvey, Rhimes’ who’s who is here to play.
Here’s why you recognize Anna’s friends and foes:
Katie Lowes: Lowes is used to turning on her friends in Shondaland, starting on “Scandal,” the Kerry Washington-starring political thriller. On the show, the loyalties of Quinn Perkins, who started out as a devoted acolyte of fixer Olivia Pope, were as messy as her relationship with sometimes ally Charlie. In “Inventing Anna,” she plays Vanity Fair employee Rachel DeLoache Williams, Anna’s close friend who gets grifted out of more than $60,000.
Jeff Perry: “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy” alum Jeff Perry, who ruined lives as Meredith’s father and Fitz Grant’s chief of staff-turned-vice president, also appears in “Inventing Anna.” Added bonus: Perry’s daughter, Zoe, also played a villain in “Scandal.”
Anna Deavere Smith: One of the quintessential “oh right, her” actresses, Smith’s resume includes “The West Wing” and “Nurse Jackie,” as well as founding director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at New York University. She also starred in Rhimes’ short-lived law drama, “For the People,” and returns to the family as Maud, another reporter in Scriberia.
Kate Burton: A Shondaland favorite, Burton goes all the way back to the beginning as Ellis Grey in “Grey’s Anatomy,” the dark angel on Meredith’s shoulder that filled her with a crippling sense of self-doubt and inferiority. She also popped up on “Scandal,” across from the aforementioned Perry, who played her husband on “Grey’s,” as Vice President Sally Langford, who became a gossip-mongering TV host on “The Liberty Report” after getting dumped by the White House. On “Inventing Anna,” she’s one of the victims, yet another duped rich socialite.
Chris Lowell: TV’s ultimate nice guy was one of Rhimes’ first big kills, the victim of a drunk driving accident on “Private Practice,” on which he played, you guessed it, ultimate nice guy Dell Parker. Lowell comes back to life as an unwitting videographer and Rachel’s friend who winds up on vacation with the conwoman.
Marika Dominczyk: As Dr. Eliza Minnick on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Dominczyk got fired from Grey Sloan and ghosted Arizona Robbins. As lifestyle brand billionaire Talia Mallay on “Inventing Anna,” she is, yet again, one of Anna’s marks.
Joshua Malina: Impressively a frequent casting choice by both Rhimes and producer Aaron Sorkin, Malina pops up on a yacht as a possible investor for Anna’s one-time boyfriend. He used to be the attorney general on “Scandal” before meeting an ugly fate.
Debra Mooney: The judge in Anna’s case had a much better job in a past life: Debra Mooney played Supreme Court Associate Justice Verna Thornton in “Scandal.” Verna met a darker end though, suffocated to death by Fitz.
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