Amanda Seyfried on grappling with the enigma that is Elizabeth Holmes

We may be in the golden age of true crime television. Our latest obsession? The Silicon scammer. The bad entrepreneur. The failing founder. From “Super Pumped” (about Uber founder Travis Kalanick), to “We Crashed” (about WeWork founder Adam Neumann), to “The Dropout” (about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes), it seems audiences can’t get enough of the heart-pounding rise and gut-punching fall of these brilliant, young, white, mostly male moguls. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie explores what it was like to become one of the more enigmatic tech billionaires, Elizabeth Holmes. “I got to go to work everyday and play this enigma and then go home to my family,” says Amanda Seyfried who stars as Holmes in the Hulu series, “The Dropout,” based on the podcast of the same name. Amanda and Katie talk about nailing the look, reaching the depths of Elizabeth’s voice, and how Amanda found ways to identify with the now-convicted, former Theranos founder.

[maureenturk]

I’ve been following the entire case, as well as enjoying Holmes’ portrayal by Amanda in The Drop Out. Holmes a genius? In mind games and manipulation. The big thing I’ve taken away is that Holmes had zero qualms about lying. She lied at every turn. She had honed the skill to a remarkable point. I put Holmes in the same category as Bernie Madoff. A major con artist. In it to ‘win it’ no matter the cost to anyone else. My focus now is on the sentencing.

[Mumball]

Katie, the Dropout Podcast is definitely worth a listen. You'll be hooked. Rebecca Jarvis does an amazing job with this story. It continues through the trial as well. Amanda Seyfried is excellent in this role. Thank you for this episode!

[sherricannon]

Thank you, Katie. I value the space you provide your guests to process their thoughts as they respond to your questions. Some of us are “out loud” processors —we arrive at (and articulate) our point of view best by speaking our way to it. In this conversation, I saw two thoughtful, intelligent women exchanging perspectives and importantly, each allowing their own opinions to shift or deepen. I know it’s the opposite of timed, terse interviews—I believe there’s a rightful place for both.

[robyoung]

She is great in this series, it’s fascinating!

[kirsten]

So distracted by Amanda's distraction of looking out a window

[thomaswilson]

Katie, I have not had the opportunity or the time to be able to dwell into this with the passion and the intensity that you probably have thank you for the interview, I hope I enjoy it ‼️ faithfully Tom ‼️‼️

[waynekaminski]

Elizabeth's family moved several times during Elizabeth's formative years, which likely had a negative effect on her ability to socialize. Her father made sure she understood the family lineage of wealth and privilege. Her great-great grandfather married the heiress to the Fleichmann yeast empire. Then her great-grandfather and grandfather squandered away all the fortune! Elizabeth seems to have inherited family traits of being such risk takers as to throw money away in pursuit of something. She wanted to reclaim that long lost family glory, but she didn't want to go through a formal education and was intellligent enough to find and exploit shortcuts that gave her a way to think she could avoid years of university level study and degreed credibility. There is a great deal of self-deception involved.

[sisvc]

Working in tech, Elizabeth Holmes just kind of highlights our propensity to financially reward marketers and executives over technical people. The tech world is full of posers because it is so hard to put in the time.

[jeevank]

For the first time in my life I feel that ive seen an angel ❤Amanda seyfried

[MrUndersolo]

Listening to the podcast on the case and I am going to watch this...even if Amanda is creeping me out with that voice. Great job...and I am disturbed.

[ClodaghQuinnchannel]

I’m so obsessed with female fraud artists, they are so fascinating… Holmes is definitely the most interesting 🧐

[thomaswilson]

I'm enjoying the interview thank you Katie ‼️‼️🌺🆗🌺🤗💘💘💘

[bruell]

Agreed Katie. Seems like Elizabeth may not have cared about the medical association as much as we thought.

[maeshellewest-davies]

Thank you for the interesting interview. Zoom not so easy for some.

[ArtZen]

I want to talk to Katy privately, Amanda said it " Keeping everyone separate" oh and how it's done, in our every day life. Elizabeth was exactly that a Mind Fugg. Steve would of been grossed out for sure. I knew Steve Jobs and people need to know what happened this is...not about Elizabeth but about Steve and I and what was done behind the scenes of it all.

[newhorizon]

Enough, Katie. Acting belongs to the rare class of professions where by simply doing your job is praised as doing a great/good job. (Btw being the president of a nation is in the same class - actually that goes a bit higher up, you don't have to do your job, just the resemblance of you doing something will suffice.) Back to EH, she is a natural-born con artist, a genuine sociopath: empathy, stress, guilt and a whole host of normal (real natural) human emotions she is devoided of. All Amanda had to do is stare with those oversized eyeballs of hers into the camera, or at another supporting character, smack her chops as if she was going to eat them alive, and she'd be resoundingly applauded. As it happened.

[jeninmontana]

This was a very difficult interview to watch. Amanda really needs to learn how to look straight into the camera instead of letting her eyes focus on everything else. It feels like talking to someone who is constantly looking around the room for someone better to talk to.

[kelcritcarroll]

How did she get covid two times….not getting a vacine? She was playing russian roulettte with her life is that was the case.

[CountryWatchdog]

I agree that Seyfried should have made better eye contact. But Katie should not interview with her bed in view. How inappropriate!

[donnabaardsen]

She really has a hard time expressing herself. Very strange body language as well.