Starring Amanda Seyfried as Holmes, The Dropout cast is full of familiar faces embodying the real-life scientists, investors, and whistleblowers who got caught up in Holmes’ scheme. And whether you’re new to the Theranos story, or have been following it for years through books like John Carreyrou’s BadBloodand podcasts like TheDropout (which served as the inspiration for the series), you may find yourself googling the main players in The Dropout between episodes, trying to untangle whether the dramatic ways these people are portrayed on the show are based on fact or fiction. Below, check out the cast of The Dropout and the real-life counterparts they’re playing.
TheDropout cast
Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout
Typically known for playing bright and bubbly roles, Amanda Seyfried goes through quite the transformation to embody the ambitious Holmes. While her appearance doesn’t change much, the same can’t be said of her voice, which she lowered as much as she could after listening to the real Holmes, who is known for her (quite possibly fake) deep speaking voice. Seyfried also had to work hard on not blinking, another distinct characteristic of Holmes, telling Vanity Fair that she “saw [not blinking] as a sign of trying to listen and to show someone that you’re listening and invested.” Since the real Holmes started Theranos in 2003 at the age of 19, Seyfried had to begin the series playing a character much younger than her 36 years. But in real life, the two are just about the same age; Holmes just recently turned 38. And Seyfried’s look on The Dropout is extremely true to Holmes’ real-life style, from her messy blonde ponytails and black Steve Jobs-esque turtlenecks to the green juiceboth women seem to enjoy.
Naveen Andrews as Sunny Balwani in The Dropout
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani (the origins of his nickname are unknown) first met Holmes in 2002, when she was an 18-year-old high school senior and he was a married, 37-year-old dot-com multi-millionaire. He and Holmes began dating shortly thereafter, and remained together for more than a decade. During that time, in 2009, Balwani joined Theranos as its Chief Operating Officer, and together with Holmes, managed the day-to-day operations of the company with an iron fist. As with Holmes, Balwani has been charged with defrauding investors, patients, and customers, and is scheduled to face trial beginning March 9, 2022. In The Dropout, 53-year-old Naveen Andrews portrays Balwani. Like Seyfried, he is a contemporary of the person he’s playing (the real Balwani is 56 as of The Dropout’s premiere) but begins the series playing far below his actual age. Andrews (best known for his starring role on Lost) also has to modify his natural British accent in order to sound more like Balwani, who was raised in India. Physically, Andrews doesn’t resemble Balwani very closely, and instead relies on his acting skill to convincingly bring the formidable businessman to life,
William H. Macy as Richard Fuisz in The Dropout
In attempting to embody physician, entrepreneur, ex-CIA asset and inventor Dr. Richard Fuisz for The Dropout, Emmy-winner William H. Macy’s look feels much more Megamind than former intelligence agency asset, but what Macy lacks in his physical resemblance (or lack thereof) to the real Fuisz, he more than makes up for in his commitment to the task at hand. As the Holmes’ childhood neighbor and family friend, Macy’s Fuisz is singularly driven to expose Holmes for the swindler he believes she is, ultimately leading him to tip off Carreyrou that there’s more to Theranos than meets the eye. The real Fuisz went through a similar ordeal, and is credited in Carreyrou’s book Bad Blood as one of his most helpful sources. Fuisz is now 82 years old (making Macy, at 71, a few years older than Fuisz would have been when Holmes started Theranos in 2003), holds more than 200 patents worldwide, and is a member of the Board of Regents at Georgetown University.
Bill Irwin as Channing Robertson in The Dropout
During her brief time as a student of chemical engineering at Stanford, Holmes studied under highly respected professor Dr. Channing Robertson, who went on to become the first board member of Theranos. But long before Theranos, Robertson made a reputation for himself as a pivotal expert witness in court cases that resulted in large settlements against a company that sold a dangerous contraceptive product, and against Big Tobacco. Robertson’s testimony in the latter case, addressing how cigarettes are intentionally engineered to be addictive, was a key factor in the court’s decision to rule against the four largest tobacco companies in the U.S. in the largest class-action settlement in U.S. history. In The Dropout, Robertson is portrayed by Bill Irwin, who we meet in the first episode as a teacher Holmes impresses during her freshman year with her precocious understanding of the work his graduate students are doing. As in real life, Robertson goes on to become one of Holmes’ most enthusiastic supporters, and his stellar reputation went a long way in helping her build credibility with investors.
Laurie Metcalf as Phyllis Gardner in The Dropout
One of the first people to question whether Holmes was really all she was cracked up to be was Phyllis Gardner, who served as Senior Associate Dean for Education and Student Affairs at Stanford University while Holmes was in attendance. Gardner was the one who shot down Holmes’ initial idea for a medical patch that automatically administered medication, telling her that what she was proposing was impossible. Later, when she heard Holmes’ revolutionary claims of world-changing tech, she couldn’t help but be skeptical, and eventually wound up speaking to Carreyrou during his investigation of Theranos. Stepping into Gardner’s shoes for The Dropout is Tony- and Emmy-Award-winning actress Laurie Metcalf, whose recent role as the titular character’s mother in Lady Bird received significant acclaim and earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She’s also been reprising her role as Jackie of late on ABC’s Roseanne reboot, The Conners.
Stephen Fry as Ian Gibbons in The Dropout
Probably one of the most tragic stories associated with Theranos is that of British biochemist Ian Gibbons, who was recommended to Holmes by Robertson. Gibbons came into Theranos in 2005 as the company’s chief scientist, and was often named as the co-inventor alongside Holmes on many of the company’s patents. Unfortunately, after eight years with the company during which he grew increasingly disillusioned with both Holmes and their product, he died of an intentional drug overdose in 2013. In The Dropout, Gibbons is played by British actor Stephen Fry, who bears a decent resemblance to the bearded and bespectacled Gibbons.
Utkarsh Ambudkar as Rakesh Madhava in The Dropout
Although the character portrayed by Utkarsh Ambudkar in The Dropout is named Rakesh Madhava, he appears to be based on Shaunak Roy, Theranos’ co-founder and very first employee. Like Madhava in the series, Roy was a Ph.D. student working in Robertson’s lab while Holmes was at Stanford, and joined Theranos immediately after finishing his degree in chemical engineering. Roy was also good friends with engineer Edmond Ku, and was instrumental in helping Elizabeth demonstrate their technology to investors, both of which are roles given to Madhava in the series. So although it’s possible that a Theranos employee named Rakesh Madhava existed at some point, all the evidence points to the real person behind Ambudkar’s character actually being Shaunak Roy.
James Hiroyuki Liao as Edmond Ku in The Dropout
Soft-spoken engineer Edmond Ku was hired by Holmes to head up the engineering department at Theranos in 2006, and quickly learned just what a daunting task that would be. Ku quickly became frustrated with the nonfunctioning prototype he’d inherited, and Holmes’ restrictions on how she wanted the blood-testing machine to work. It didn’t take long for Ku to grow deeply uncomfortable with the corners Holmes seemed to be cutting, and the ethical compromises she was willing to make in order to see her vision come to life. In The Dropout, the Chinese Ku is portrayed by Taiwanese-Japanese actor James Hiroyuki Liao.
Dylan Minnette as Tyler Shultz in The Dropout
As the grandson of Theranos board member (and former U.S. Secretary of State) George Shultz, Tyler Shultz was immediately captivated by Holmes’ vision and inspiring way of speaking when he first met her in 2011. It led him to apply for a job at Theranos immediately after graduating from Stanford in 2013 with a degree in biology and a hunger to change the world. But almost as soon as Shultz started working at the company, he started noticing things that didn’t seem to add up, and eventually became one of the most crucial whistleblowers in Carreyrou’s exposé and eventual book. In addition to now running his own biotech company, Shultz is now also on the board of The Signals Network, a nonprofit organization that helps support whistleblowers around the world. In The Dropout, he’s portrayed by 13 Reasons Why star Dylan Minnette, who doesn’t look especially similar to the real Shultz, but perfectly captures his growing disillusionment with the company. Minnette also sings and plays guitar in the band Wallows, two skills which surprisingly come in handy for his role as Shultz in The Dropout.
Camryn Mi-young Kim as Erika Cheung in The Dropout
Like Shultz, Erika Cheung started working at Theranos right after graduating from college—in Cheunt’s case, from the University of California with a double major in linguistics and biology in 2013. Cheung and Shultz quickly became close friends, and then followed a similar trajectory as they both rapidly realized that the company they were working for wasn’t what they’d both been led to believe. Like Shultz, Cheung was also an instrumental whistleblower who helped expose the fraud at Theranos. Since leaving Theranos, she is now co-founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Ethics in Entrepreneurship, to which Shultz also serves as an advisor. In The Dropout, Cheung is played by Camryn Mi-young Kim in her first television role.
Sam Waterston as George Shultz in The Dropout
After serving as Secretary of Labor and later Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard Nixon, and later Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, Shultz brought some serious clout to Holmes’ start-up when he joined the Theranos board in 2011. Shultz was one of Holmes’ most ardent supporters, believing completely in her vision and ability even after being shown evidence to the contrary. The real Shultz does not look much like Sam Waterston, the Academy Award-nominated actor playing him in The Dropout, but Waterston’s long and celebrated acting career seem well suited to portraying the highly decorated Shultz.
Michael Ironside as Don Lucas in The Dropout
Cowboy hat-wearing Silicon Valley venture capitalist Don Lucas was one of Theranos’ earliest investors, sinking a chunk of his own money into the then-fledgling company during its second funding round. Lucas would go on to be the chairman of Theranos’ board, a position he held until 2013. Lucas was instrumental in connecting Holmes with other wealthy investors, and was reportedly very close with the young entrepreneur, hosting her for brunch every Sunday. Lucas, who passed away at the end of 2019, is portrayed in The Dropout by Canadian actor Michael Ironside.
Alan Ruck as Jay “Dr. J” Rosan in The Dropout
Although Jay Rosan—who liked to introduce himself with the line, “Hi, I’m Dr. J and I used to play basketball”—was indeed a physician, he first crossed paths with Theranos as a member of Walgreens’ innovation team, when the startup started exploring the idea of retail partnerships. Dr. J instantly fell in love with Holmes’ vision of painless and widely available blood tests, which would enable more people to make better, more informed decisions about their health. He was instrumental in convincing Walgreens to go forward with the Theranos partnership, despite never allowing Walgreens to independently validate its equipment. In The Dropout, the silver-haired Rosan is played by Alan Ruck, who is best known as Ferris’ nervous best friend Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He also currently plays Connor Roy, oldest son of Logan Roy (BrianCox) on Succession.
Nicky Endres as Ana Arriola in The Dropout
It’s no secret that Holmes idolized Apple, modeling both her business and her personal style on Apple guru Steve Jobs. So naturally, Holmes was eager to recruit Apple employees to her company, with one of the first being product designer Ana Arriola. Holmes was impressed with Arriola’s work on the iPhone, and hired Arriola as chief design architect for Theranos to create an appealing, streamlined look for the Edison, the company’s proprietary blood-testing device. But of course, like many others who were wooed to Theranos by Holmes’ passion and vision, Arriola quickly received a rude awakening. While the real Arriola is of Latinx descent, in The Dropout, they’re played by Korean-American actor Nicky Endres. Both the real Ana and Nicky Endres use both they/them and she/her pronouns, and Arriola identifies as a “queer Latinx womxn of trans non-binary experience” while Endres identifies as “an Asian-American non-binary transfeminine queer” person.
Amir Arison as Avie Tevanian in The Dropout
Following his retirement after a decade with Apple in 2006, software engineer Avie Tevanian was soon approached to join the Theranos board of directors, and decided to take the plunge, purchasing $1.5 million of company stock to take his seat at the table. Holmes was fascinated by Tevanian’s close friendship with Jobs, but he and Holmes were not destined to have a similarly affectionate relationship. Tevanian often found himself at odds with the rest of the board, asking the questions no one else was asking. Today, Tevanian serves as Managing Director for NextEquity Partners, a venture capital fund he co-founded in 2015. While Tevanian is of Armenian descent, he is played in The Dropout by Amir Arison, who is of Israeli heritage.
Kurtwood Smith as David Boies in The Dropout
Theranos was famously litigious, vigorously protecting its trade secrets with daunting non-disclosure agreements and being willing to sue anyone Holmes saw as a threat to the company. This led her to hire powerhouse attorney David Boies, who was well known at the time for representing Al Gore in Bush v. Gore following the 2000 presidential election, and also for representing famous and powerful figures such as Harvey Weinstein. Boies strongly believed in the mission of Theranos, and even agreed to be paid in company stock for his legal work. While serving as the company’s attorney, he also served on the Theranos board of directors, giving him a vested (and perhaps conflicting) personal interest in protecting the company at all costs. Playing Boies in The Dropout is Kurtwood Smith, who you may remember as grouchy father Red Forman in That ’70s Show, a character he played for all eight seasons of the show’s run.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as John Carreyrou in The Dropout
There probably wouldn’t be a Dropout story to tell if not for the tireless work of journalist Carreyrou, who worked for The Wall Street Journal until 2019. Acting on a tip from a medical blogger, Carreyrou started digging into Theranos in 2014, and was blown away by what he found. After speaking to numerous former Theranos employees and other insiders associated with the company, Carreyrou published his article in The Wall Street Journal in 2015, which set things in motion for the Theranos house of cards to come tumbling down. Carreyrou later expanded that article into a book, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. In 2020, Carreyrou also hosted a podcast called Bad Blood: The Final Chapter, in which he followed Holmes’ trial. Carreyrou is portrayed in The Dropout by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who you may know as the singer Marnie married on Girls. Next, can’t get enough of real life scandals? We ranked the 36 best true crime shows.
