Amanda Seyfried Breaks Silence on Secret Elizabeth Holmes Documentary Role, Says She Is Relieved and Excited

Amanda Seyfried is speaking for the first time about her secret role in "You Can See Everything," the hit documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, saying she feels "relieved" and "excited" that she can finally discuss it.

Seyfried, who won an Emmy for playing Holmes in the 2022 Hulu series "The Dropout," appears in the documentary playing both herself and Holmes in reenactments.

Asked by People on the red carpet at the New York premiere of Netflix's "Steps" on Nov. 8 how she felt now that her role was public, Seyfried replied: "Relieved."

She also said it was important for her to do things that "scare me," Variety reported.

A secret role

"You Can See Everything" was directed by Nathan Fielder, creator of "The Rehearsal" and "Nathan for You," and Lance Oppenheim.

The film begins as a fairly traditional documentary, with Fielder embedding with Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, in the weeks before she reported to prison.

After Holmes entered prison, the filmmakers invited Seyfried to view much of the footage they had gathered and brought her into the project. In reenactment scenes, Seyfried acts out dialogue between Holmes and Fielder that was not captured on camera, including an interview in prison.

One of the film's most talked-about moments shows Holmes watching Seyfried's performance in "The Dropout" for the first time and breaking down in tears.

Seyfried's involvement was kept out of the film's trailers and promotional materials before its theatrical release in October.

Box office hit

The nearly three-hour documentary surprise-premiered at the Telluride Film Festival before being released in theaters by A24.

It grossed $15 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, according to NewsNation, an unusually strong debut for a documentary. Variety reported that the film reached $80 million after four weekends, making it the second-biggest documentary ever in North America.

Praise and criticism

Seyfried's performance in the documentary has drawn strong reviews. A Daily Beast critic wrote that she was "remarkable as Holmes" in the reenactments, arguably eclipsing her Emmy-winning work in "The Dropout."

Her appearance has also drawn some criticism online. Some viewers accused her of hypocrisy after she appeared to show shifting sympathy toward Holmes in the film, Fox News reported.

In 2023, Seyfried told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Holmes' prison sentence was, in many ways, fair.

Holmes' downfall

Holmes founded Theranos after dropping out of Stanford University, claiming her company's technology could run hundreds of medical tests from a few drops of blood. The technology never worked as promised.

Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors and sentenced to more than 11 years in prison. She reported to prison in 2023.

The Theranos story has inspired several projects, including the HBO documentary "The Inventor" by Alex Gibney and "The Dropout."

What's next for Seyfried

Seyfried, 40, continues to take on a range of projects. She attended the premiere of Netflix's "Steps" in New York, where she spoke about the documentary.