When Amanda Seyfried was cast as Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu’s new series The Dropout, she knew the disgraced CEO’s voice was going to be a big topic of conversation. She also knew she would be physically unable to mirror the former Theranos leader’s low tone, so she didn’t worry too much about sounding exactly like Holmes. She could have fooled us, though, because ever since The Dropout premiered, fans have been taking to Twitter to sing the actress’ praises about the way she captured the fraudster.
The Dropout tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes, who founded Theranos, a health technology company that was boasted about as having the means to diagnose multiple diseases with a simple finger prick. Holmes was accused of scamming investors out of billions of dollars in what turned out to be a massive ruse, and the former CEO was found guilty in January 2022 on four counts of fraud-related charges. She is set to be sentenced September 26. As wild as this ripped-from-the-headlines story is, it was Elizabeth Holmes’ presumably fake baritone voice that was often the topic of conversation, and Hulu viewers were definitely listening for it.
They didn’t have to wait long, as Twitter lit up with overwhelmingly positive reactions to Amanda Seyfried’s take on “the voice”:
Me anytime Amanda does the voice #TheDropout pic.twitter.com/ILSLxeX13NMarch 5, 2022
Many Twitter users said Amanda Seyfried had them sold with her version of the infamous voice in just the first few minutes of the series. It was more than the vocal fry garnering praise, too, as viewers also noted that Seyfried captured Elizabeth Holmes’ expressions and mannerisms.
I was skeptical when i first saw that Amanda Seyfried was gonna be playing Elizabeth Holmes, but it’s like 3 minutes into the first episode and she’s nailing it! She’s so weird!!!!! The voice, the weird mannerisms, the facial expressions. Wild #TheDropout
People who had been interested in the Theranos case for years, and are therefore familiar with what Elizabeth Holmes looks and sounds like in real life, tweeted that they loved Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal.
I’ve been fascinated with the Elizabeth Holmes scandal since it came out and I’m SO glad a series has been made out of it. Less than 2 minutes in and @AmandaSeyfried has NAILED Holmes’ fake monotones voice to perfection!
Many viewers specifically pointed to a scene in Episode 3, in which Elizabeth Holmes practices lowering her voice in a mirror, as being exemplary of Amanda Seyfried’s applause-worthy performance:
That scene----Practicing in the mirror using "the voice" #TheDropout pic.twitter.com/hViQB1zHr0March 4, 2022
The critics’ reaction to The Dropout was also overwhelmingly positive, and after seeing just the three episodes available on Hulu so far, some viewers have already started calling for Amanda Seyfried's award recognition.
I’ve seen all I need in 3 episodes to say get Amanda Seyfried a god damn Emmy.
Whatever work Amanda Seyfried put into the role of Elizabeth Holmes — especially in nailing that oh-so-important voice — it definitely paid off, as fans are calling this a career performance and tweeting that Seyfried will be remembered for this portrayal:
You’ve gotta go watch The Dropout on Hulu. Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes will go down in history. Put some respect on my girl’s name #TheDropout.
The first three episodes of The Dropout are available for streaming with a Hulu subscription. Be sure to check out some of the other best shows on Hulu, as well as our 2022 TV Schedule to see when new and returning shows are premiering.
