The Dropout cast vs real life: Elizabeth Holmes and co better watch out, because Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews and William H. Macy look just like the people they portray in Hulu’s new drama

Mar 13 , 2022

The real life drama of Theranos is being played out in a brand new Hulu / Disney+ series – so who is playing who? Photos: Hulu; Sundance Institute; Hulu; Bloomberg via Getty Images

Fame and celebrity

The new Disney+ and Hulu series is based on Rebecca Jarvis’ podcast of the same name, and charts the career of Elizabeth Holmes and then boyfriend Sunny Balwani

From Mamma Mia’s Amanda Seyfried to veteran actors Stephen Fry and Sam Waterston, The Dropout boasts a star-studded cast even Holmes must be impressed by

The world has been transfixed by the rise and fall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes since her spectacular fall from grace. And in true streaming platform style (See WeCrashed, Inventing Anna, The Crown), nothing is too recent to be turned into an on screen drama.

So who plays who in Disney+ and Hulu’s show, and who are the main characters in this real life story of lies, betrayal and big money?

Amanda Seyfried as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes

From her deep voice to her all black Steve Jobs-esque outfits, Amanda Seyfried (L) attempts to capture Holmes in The Dropout. Photos: Hulu; Sundance Institute

On January 3, 2022, Holmes was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each count carries a requirement to pay victims’ restitution, a maximum 20-year prison sentence, and a US$250,000 fine. Holmes is currently imprisoned, and her sentencing hearing is set for September 26, according to The New York Times.

Could Elizabeth Holmes (played here by Amanda Seyfried) ever have imagined she’d one day be portrayed on the big screen? Photo: Hulu

The Hulu series begins with the early days of Holmes’ creation of Theranos after dropping out of Stanford University at age 19. Holmes claimed that Theranos used revolutionary blood-testing technology, utilising just one drop of blood to deliver test results within 10 minutes.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou published his investigation into Theranos and its misleading technology, which partially triggered the company’s decline in reputation.