Amanda Seyfried has finally confirmed her secret role in the documentary You Can See Everything, the genre-bending film that follows disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
The 40-year-old actress, who previously won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for portraying the tech executive in the 2022 Hulu series The Dropout, joined the project as both herself and a reprisal of the character.
The film, which debuted in theaters on October 16, 2026, features Seyfried in a surprising capacity that remained hidden from all marketing and trailers until its theatrical release. The project, which has a 174-minute runtime, was directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim and produced by Tatiana Bears, Maggie Ambrose, Jack Davis, Fielder, and Oppenheim.
Seyfried Recreates Conversations Through Documentary Reenactments
The film initially presents as a traditional documentary, documenting Holmes’ life with her partner, Billy Evans, and their two young children in the 34 days leading up to her May 2023 prison sentence for wire fraud and conspiracy.
Once Holmes entered the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, and access became near-impossible for the film crew, Fielder and Oppenheim recruited Seyfried to recreate specific conversations and personal encounters that could not be captured on camera. This experimental approach allowed the filmmakers to analyze Holmes’ legacy through a hybrid of real footage and staged reenactments.
“made my brain and body feel on fire” Oppenheim said, describing the emotional roller coaster of making and releasing the film.
For Seyfried, returning to the role required a reliance on “muscle memory.” She said that her performance in The Dropout was shaped by 10 hours of consistent deposition tapes rather than public interviews, and “I'm having the time of my life right now!” Seyfried said, noting that stepping back into the character felt like an “uncontrollable” reflex.
Beyond the reenactments, Seyfried also appears as herself, engaging with Evans and serving as a stand-in for the audience while navigating the documentary’s complex, often surreal environment.
“It’s important for me as an actor, an artist, I mean, a mom, of course, but as a person in the world who loves to work, to find things that I haven’t done before and to do things that scare me in a specific way,” Seyfried told People.
And when you follow through with something that scares you and it comes out the other end that it’s something that’s having an impact, mostly positive impact, it always feels good because you take a risk.
Amanda Seyfried, actress
Box Office Performance and Oscar Buzz
The documentary has succeeded commercially and critically. Since its mid-October release, it has debuted at No. 2 on its opening weekend and has grossed over $80 million at the box office, becoming the second-highest-grossing documentary ever in North America. The film currently holds a Certified Fresh score of 96% from critics and 95% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
Industry chatter now centers on whether Seyfried could earn an Academy Award nomination for her hybrid performance. She currently stands at No. 6 in the Best Supporting Actress category on their leaderboards, having gained 13 percentage points in combined odds and 25 percentage points among experts.
While A24 has not yet begun a formal awards campaign, the buzz has been bolstered by praise from fellow actors, including Timothy Simons, who lauded her performance as “deft” and “haunting.”
Maintaining the Secret
Keeping the role hidden was a central part of the film’s marketing strategy. During a premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, she famously deflected inquiries about the documentary with a “masterclass in dodging,” telling reporters that her former Dropout colleagues kept texting her to ask if she was involved. Fielder explained that he wanted the recreations to feel authentic to the off-camera conversations he observed.
The secrecy extended to the set, where Fielder and Oppenheim worked to ensure the reenactments captured the reality of the situations they witnessed. With the secret now out, Seyfried is pivoting to her next projects, including voicing a character in the Netflix animated musical Steps, which premieres November 20, 2026, and reprising her role in Ted: The Animated Series, arriving on December 17.
