Watching the TV show dramatization of the true story of Elizabeth Holmes and the development of Theranos almost requires frequent Google-searching in tandem. Was that actually the case? Is he or she a real person? Unbelievability is established from the very beginning of the series. However, Who Is The Dropout Based On?
What, a high school dropout with no medical training at all built a successful medical technology company that tricked investors, medical professionals, and the media? It’s likely that at some point, someone said, “I don’t know.
I’m going to reveal the truth about this idea that a single blood donation may change the world. Okay, here’s the spoiler: that ends up happening.
But first Holmes and Theranos were celebrated as a groundbreaking medical breakthrough, and then as the pinnacle of a golden age of American fraud. Wire fraud charges weren’t filed until a very long time later.
Moreover, if you’re thinking, “Well, some of these folks have to be made up,” you’d be incorrect. Everyone included in the miniseries about the Theranos plan is based on a real person, however, some minor details may have been changed.
The story of Theranos, however, is grounded in truth (and a lot of wounded egos) from Sunny Balwani’s unconventional leadership style to Tyler Shultz’s bold desire to expose the company’s fraud. Please accept my apologies. However, Who Is The Dropout Based On?
Who Is The Dropout Based On?
True, and the first three episodes of the Hulu miniseries give the impression that the show sticks closer to the facts than the typical based-on-a-true-story production. Most people are aware that a real-life Holmes founded a firm named Theranos on flawed technology that eventually failed.
Based on a six-part podcast of the same name that was launched at the start of 2019, The Dropout is all about Holmes and the Theranos affair. This podcast’s success prompted ABC News to adapt it into a longer, two-hour 20/20 special.
One of the real-life persons represented in The Dropout is journalist and author John Carreyrou, who investigated Theranos’ false claims for The Wall Street Journal. However, the miniseries is not based on Carreyrou’s book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018). However, a film adaptation featuring Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes/Theranos is in the works.
Which Characters Are Based On Real People In The Dropout?
The characters portrayed by Michaela Watkins in The Dropout are mostly based on real persons, with the exception of Linda Tanner, the in-house counsel for Theranos.
Watkins, in an interview with RadioTimes.com, said that her role was an “amalgamation” of the legal team at the internet startup, but that she drew some inspiration for her performance from actual footage shot at the company’s former offices.
Source: Esquire
She started, “The way I kind of stepped into her body.” Once I admitted, “OK, OK, I think I know who Linda Tanner is,” things started to fall into place.
One woman in the documentary stood out to me; she wasn’t even a lawyer, but something about her demeanor made me wonder about the company culture at Theranos. It must have been one of those moments in the bullpen when everyone cheered because they had received FDA approval for some new testing methods.
And as Pump Up the Volume played, I noticed a woman dancing in what appeared to be a cultish fashion, as if she had consumed the Kool-Aid. And I thought, “That’s who she is; she’s someone who’s incredibly ecstatic to be part of the victorious squad.
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