Emma Stone may never appear on screen in You Can See Everything, the mind-bending documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, but the Oscar-winning actress played a crucial role behind the scenes. And without her, one of the film’s biggest surprises might never have happened.
Stone’s contribution? Helping connect filmmakers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim with Amanda Seyfried, the actress who famously portrayed Holmes in Hulu’s The Dropout. Suddenly, a documentary already packed with uncomfortable questions about truth, manipulation, and perception had a twist worthy of a Hollywood thriller.
How Emma Stone Helped Change the Film
Stone previously worked with Fielder on the surreal Showtime series The Curse, giving her a personal connection to the filmmaker. That relationship helped open the door to Seyfried, whose performance as Holmes had already made her one of the most recognizable faces associated with the Theranos scandal.
Initially, the filmmakers hoped Seyfried would watch footage from their documentary and offer her reactions. But the conversation took an unexpected turn when Seyfried expressed interest in portraying Holmes again.
That suggestion changed everything.
Amanda Seyfried Returns as Elizabeth Holmes
In the film’s second half, Seyfried steps into Holmes’ shoes for reenactments of conversations and events the documentary crew could not capture directly. The move becomes especially significant after the real Holmes begins serving her prison sentence, leaving the filmmakers grappling with her absence.
Rather than simply continuing as a conventional documentary, You Can See Everything begins examining how people remember, interpret, and reconstruct someone who remains difficult to understand.
Seyfried’s involvement adds another layer of surrealism: an actress who once played Holmes in a scripted television drama is now helping filmmakers explore the real woman through recreated scenes.
The Secret Behind the Surprise
Stone receives a special-thanks credit, but her behind-the-scenes contribution helped set this unusual chain of events in motion.
You Can See Everything is more than a documentary about the rise and fall of Theranos. It also raises questions about storytelling itself—and how easily reality can blur into performance.
Stone may stay off-camera, but her influence is woven into one of the film’s most unexpected turns. Sometimes, the most important supporting role happens before the cameras start rolling.
