Amanda Seyfried Refuses to Be Disbelieved in Her Role as Theranos
Key Takeaways:
- Amanda Seyfried plays disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who is at the centre of the drama in the latest Hulu limited series The Dropout.
- The entrepreneur cracks under pressure in the trailer as her secrets are revealed, raising the stakes even higher.
In the latest Hulu limited series The Dropout, Amanda Seyfried plays disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who is at the center of the drama.
The show follows Holmes' rise and fall as she was found guilty of fraud and conspiracy last month after falsely claiming that her company's technology could perform hundreds of medical tests with just a few drops of blood.
Elizabeth, then a Stanford University dropout, is introduced in the trailer for the limited series as she begins to establish the idea for her healthcare start-up, Theranos.
"What if you could check your blood from the comfort of your own home? What if it wasn't a full vial but just a smidgeon?" she enquires. "This machine has the potential to revolutionize the world."
"Together, we are creating healthcare accessible to everyone in this nation," Elizabeth confidently says her employees as she continues to develop her company and its blood machine, dubbed The Edison.
When others dismiss her idea or tell her that it's "impossible," Elizabeth simply says, "Do or do not, there is no try." She goes on to say, "It's a beautiful day," in a taunting tone, "I can't give them any reason to be suspicious of me... This isn't just a job for me; it's a way of life. Anyone who doubts my company also doubts myself."
The stakes are raised further in the trailer, which shows the entrepreneur cracking under pressure as her secrets are revealed. Despite her best efforts to save the company she founded, Elizabeth soon discovers that Theranos is "endangering lives," forcing her to face the consequences.
In addition to showcasing Elizabeth's rise to fame, the show will follow her romance with Sunny Balwani, the former president of Theranos, played by Naveen Andrews. Balwani, 56, is accused of defrauding investors as well.
Stephen Fry, William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, Sam Waterston, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton, Michel Gill, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Elizabeth Marvel, Dylan Minnette, Alan Ruck, as well as Michaela Watkins also a performer in The Dropout.
Elizabeth Meriwether, the creator, and showrunner of New Girl, Liz Heldens, Liz Hannah, Katherine Pope, Rebecca Jarvis, Victoria Thompson, and Taylor Dunn, executive, generate the limited series. Michael Showalter directs several episodes and provides as an executive producer alongside Jordana Mollick.
In March, it was announced that Seyfried would star in and produce the limited series. She replaced Kate McKinnon, who had previously been cast as Elizabeth, and was spotted filming by August.
Viewers got their first look at The Dropout in December when photos of Seyfried showed her channeling Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes with intense facial expressions and her blonde hair pulled back in a bun.
Last month, Holmes was accused of 11 counts of fraud in connection with Therano's claims to investors and patients. The jury returned a partial verdict, finding Holmes guilty on three wire fraud numbers and 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A date for sentencing has not yet been fixed.