The Dropout: Original Elizabeth Holmes Actress Was Wildly Different
Though Hulu's upcoming miniseries, The Dropout, stars Amanda Seyfried as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, the original actress cast in the role was completely different. As is often the case in Hollywood, original plans can change and alternate castings have to occur. Still, it's normal and sometimes even fun to speculate how things might have unfolded had a project stuck with its original casting, as is the case with The Dropout.
The Dropout is based on the podcast of the same name by journalist Rebecca Jarvis. Jarvis and her podcast co-producers, Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson, are executive producers of the miniseries along with Liz Meriwether, the creator of New Girl, who is also the showrunner of The Dropout. Both the podcast and miniseries focus on the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes after she dropped out of Stanford University to create the health technology corporation Theranos and became the youngest-ever self-made billionaire woman. Theranos claimed they could complete a full range of blood tests with one drop of blood. But these claims were brought under suspicion when it was discovered that no peer-reviewed research backed them up, and ultimately, Theranos was exposed as fraudulent.
Related: Saturday Night Live: Kate McKinnon Hilariously Spoofs The Lighthouse
However, the adaptation of the podcast almost looked far different, as did the portrayal of Holmes. When news first broke that Hulu had ordered a limited series of The Dropout, Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon was set to play the starring role of Elizabeth Holmes and had also signed on as an executive producer. However, in February 2021, it was announced that McKinnon was exiting the project, with no reason given for her departure.
Read more on screenrant.com
