ATrinidadian actor is making his television debut in Shonda Rhimes’s new Netflix series Inventing Anna.

Kieron J. Anthony stars in episode eight of the series in which he plays a psychiatrist.

Inventing Anna is based on the true story of socialite Anna Sorokin aka Anna Delvey, who swindled her way into the American elite society.

The series began on Friday and stars Ozark actress Julia Garner, Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black), Anna Chlumsky (My Girl) and Katie Lowes (Scandal), among others.

Anthony’s scene was spent entirely with Garner.  He told Loop News that the role boosted his confidence.

“Julia Garner is an Emmy winner for Ozark. All my scenes are just with her one on one. I kept thinking they are trusting me enough to do this with this Emmy winner, let me trust in myself too, they wouldn’t have chosen me if I couldn’t match her,” he said.

He said when he revealed at the end of the scene that this was his first TV gig everyone was shocked.

Anthony, 32, auditioned for the show after his agent presented the opportunity to him and he trained with his acting coach in preparation for the audition.

The process took place in the early stages of the pandemic and Anthony, who contemplated returning home, said he is fortunate that he remained in New York where the series was shot.

Acknowledging the strength of Netflix as a platform, Anthony said budding actors always hope to book television series to get their name out there and to get solid footage for their reels.

Prior to Inventing Anna, the only other major production Anthony did was the stage version of One Night in Miami, in which he portrayed Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). That experience remains his most impactful to date.

“I got to meet his wife. She saw it live and she said she got goosebumps watching me. We did that play in 2018 in Miami and we got a chance to go to the actual Hampton House where they stayed. The story, the characters, nothing so far has made me feel as fulfilled as a performer,” he said.

Born in Diamond Vale, in west Trinidad, Anthony grew up in the east in St Augustine where he spent his childhood playing outdoors with his cousins. Those games fuelled his imagination as, like most children, he made up storylines, plots and sub-plots to go along.

“There is a home video somewhere where I tore apart my pajamas and I took my mum’s eyeliner and makeup to look like Tarzan and I was running around the house. The urge to act was always there. I used to write too. My mum had me in these creative writing classes but as a Caribbean family you don’t think of acting as lucrative,” he said.

As a student at Fatima College, Anthony ran track and played football and considered becoming a professional athlete. He graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Kinesiology and had plans to go to med school with the intention of building a clinic in T&T to help athletes ages 14 to 18 who dealt with career-ending injuries.

But he couldn’t ignore the yearning in his soul to pursue acting.

“I didn’t want to have that bitterness festering in me because I didn’t try that thing I was dreaming about. I was talking to people in Miami and doing classes and it was hard but one of the instructors said if I really want to do this, I should go to a conservatory in New York. That terrified me because all I knew about theatre is that is live with an audience right in front of you,” he said.

Anthony took the advice of his teacher and moved to New York where he attended the Atlantic Acting School. He is now part of the faculty as a teaching artist.

“A lot of old habits had to be broken, speech training, etc. In the conservatory here we pushed each other. I owe a lot to the people and training. I believe that if you give it your all and really commit, you will succeed. It was hard, I don’t see home as much, friends and family as much,” he said of his journey.

Since graduating from acting school in 2017, Anthony has done a lot of indie films and acting off-Broadway.

Inventing Anna is a big accomplishment for him and he plans to continue to build on it, aware of the pressure he now faces.

“If this is the first thing you enter the world with people are expecting more from you now but I will thrive off of that. It will add to my determination and grit,” he said.

While he loves the stage, comparing it to a church experience with the lights and audience, he said on film one can tell bigger stories.

“You have a vast storyline and you could get closer to the actors as well, it could get more intimate,” he said, noting that his preferred genres are Sci-Fi and drama.

“I would love to work with Jordan Peel one day to just absorb his mind and Lakeith Stanfield, he is a chameleon. I love the way Shonda Rhimes works, her stories go on and on and still draw you in. When I think of people I would love to work with I think of who I would love to sit on set and observe, just to watch their process, how they are able to transform,” he explained.

Anthony’s long-term vision is to build a career that would allow him to support a family and live a stable lifestyle.  One of his dreams is to do a film featuring T&T.

“Career-wise, why not dream big. Where I am now is bigger than I thought I would be so all of this is the bonus round. It has gotten this far with faith and hard work,” he said.

For those inspired by his story to follow their dreams, he advised: “Take a chance and do the work. You have to be willing to do the work and sacrifice, that is just as important as having the dream.”