Amanda Seyfried Reveals Truth About Playing Elizabeth Holmes

From Jennifer Lawrence to Amanda Seyfried, Hollywood is cashing in on Elizabeth Holmes’ unique story. But more than just her story, it’s her mannerisms and speaking voice that’s the challenge for the actresses portraying her.

During a recent interview, Amanda Seyfried talked about why she’s daunted to be stepping into Holmes’ shoes, even though she understands why Holmes had to adapt some of her unique strategies in business.

Amanda Seyfried Opens Up About Her Upcoming Role Playing Convicted Ex-Billionaire Elizabeth Holmes

Initially, playing Elizabeth Holmes on screen was not a dream come true for Seyfried, 36. Later on, she decided to ignore her hesitations about taking on the role of the disgraced Theranos founder, Elizabeth Holmes, for Hulu’s upcoming series, “The Dropout”.

During Seyfried’s recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter, she revealed that she turned down the part — which was offered to her after Kate McKinnon dropped out — at first without much thought to it. The role would have conflicted with her time with her family and of course, she was worried about playing the notorious figure.

“I had COVID. I was isolating in the basement of a gross townhouse in Savannah, Georgia, because my husband was working on a movie there,” she admitted to the outlet. “And now an L.A. shoot? Pass!”

When the morning came round, Seyfried had reflected on the offer and found it enticing enough to want to take on the challenge. “It’s really going to be difficult,” she recalled thinking to herself. “It’s a huge challenge. But I can’t believe that I get a challenge like this.”

“The Dropout” will tell “the unbelievable true story” of the rise and fall of Holmes: a college dropout who duped investors out of millions by purporting that her company had invented a technology that can run hundreds of medical tests using just a few drops of blood.

According To Amanda Seyfried, The Limited Series Will Thrill Fans With Its Unhappy Ending.

“This is not just about showing all the points where this woman made bad choices,” Seyfried told THR. “We’re investigating why we love a fall from grace, why we want to watch train wrecks.”

Amanda Seyfried Calls Elizabeth Holmes “an Enigma” After Closely Studying Her

When Seyfried began research on the character she would soon be assuming, she found lots of information to aid her, but even then, she still found the 38-year-old Theranos founder a mystery.

“I watched and listened to all of it, but I learned nothing about her,” Seyfried revealed. “It’s crazy that she can still be such an enigma with all the information surrounding her.”

Another tough hurdle to cross was, of course, perfecting Holmes’ distinctive deep voice. “I knew my voice was never going to be as deep as hers because I’m physically not capable of it,” she said. “Besides, I promised I wasn’t going to give myself a hard time and try to completely mimic this other human being.”

One thing the actress understands about Holmes is the reason she’s crafted a unique persona for herself as a healthcare entrepreneur.

“If you’re trying to be taken seriously by all of these powerful men, what else do you do?” Seyfried said. “We all take on traits, subconsciously most of the time, to fit in and survive.”

“I caught myself doing some [of] her mannerisms just the other day,” she added. “You can’t help it. We’re sensitive. We’re absorbent. We’re f—ing humans.”

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