The new miniseries The stall explores the true story of disgraced biotech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes. The series is a fascinating character study of this ambitious young woman whose ideas spin wildly out of control. It’s no surprise that the intriguing story attracted a very talented cast.
Led by Amanda Seyfried in the lead role of Holmes, the cast includes many well-known and acclaimed actors playing the roles of the various people involved in Holmes’ strange journey. And fans will likely recognize many of these actors in some of their other terrific roles.
ten Laurie Metcalf – Roseanne (1988-2018)
Elizabeth is so engrossed in the idea of doing something huge and important that she is perplexed by the idea of meeting people who do not share her enthusiasm for her ideas. Laurie Metcalf plays one of Elizabeth’s early skeptics, Phyllis Gardner, the dean of medicine at Stanford University.
Metcalf is an award-winning film, television and theater actor with too many notable roles to name. however, most fans will remember her from the sitcom Roseane and its reboot series The Conners. Metcalf plays Jackie, Roseanne’s tightly wounded sister.
9 Michel Gill – Mister Robot (2015-2019)
Much of Elizabeth’s journey as a professional comes from her relationship with her father, played by Michael Gill. He’s a very nurturing and encouraging parent, but he constantly pushes her to do more and focus on work that fuels her success mentality by any means necessary.
Gill is someone fans will have seen in a number of supporting roles on TV shows. His biggest role to date was probably in Mister Robot. The series stars Rami Malek as an expert hacker who is drawn into a giant plot. For the first two seasons, Gill played Gideon Goddard, Malek’s friendly boss.
8 Elizabeth Marvel – House of Cards (2013-2018)
Another interesting relationship in Elizabeth’s life is with her mother, played by Elizabeth Marvel. She is a much colder parent than Elizabeth’s father and can be tough with her honest opinions. However, she is also very protective and supportive of her daughter’s ambitions.
Marvel is a hugely accomplished character actor with endless awesome roles for fans to see. One of his biggest television roles was on Card castle. For two seasons of the political drama, Marvel played Heather Dunbar, a political opponent to Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood.
7 Bill Irwin – How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Despite her many flaws in the business world, Elizabeth is a very capable person and appears to be a person destined for success. Early in the story, she makes a connection with Stanford chemical engineering professor Channing Robertson (Bill Irwin) who later joins his company, Theranos.
Irwin is another highly accomplished character actor with a long and impressive career on stage and screen. But it is perhaps best known for the family vacation adventure, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Irwin plays Lou Who, the father of Cindy Lou Who, the little girl who befriends The Grinch (Jim Carrey).
6 Stephen Fry – V for Vendetta (2005)
One of the most interesting things about Elizabeth’s journey is that, despite the poor execution, she had an idea that inspired many people to want to get involved. One such person was biochemist Ian Gibbons (Stephen Fry) who believed Theranos would help countless people.
Fry is a famous British comedian, but he has also made many notable film and television appearances. Fry appeared in the comic book adaptation V for Vendetta about a masked vigilante exposing the secrets of the totalitarian government. Fry played a talk show host who befriends Natalie Portman’s Evie.
5 Michael Ironside – Starship Troopers (1997)
The series also shows that Elizabeth has a talent for persuasion which is best seen in her relationship with Don Lucas (Michael Ironside). Don is initially a very skeptical and stern businessman, but he quickly takes a liking to Elizabeth and wants to believe that she can run the business despite mounting evidence that she cannot.
Ironside has had notable roles in a number of exciting and successful films over the years. One of his most memorable turns was as the stern military commander Rasczak in the sci-fi action film Savage Starship Troopers.
4 Utkarsh Ambudkar – Free Guy (2021)
Theranos started out as a very small company with a team of very dedicated workers, including Rakesh Madhava (Utkarsh Ambudkar). He often serves as comic relief in the story, cracking office jokes and banter, but gradually becomes uncomfortable with Elizabeth’s dealings with the company.
Ambudkar is a successful comedian who has steadily built a successful acting career. Recently, he was seen in the hit comedy free guy as one of the developers of the video game in which the hero of Ryan Reynolds is a character.
3 William H. Macy – Fargo (1996)
Although it could be said that Elizabeth is his worst enemy in the story, Richard Fuisz (William H. Macy) establishes himself as a villain early on. Fuisz turns out to be a family friend of Elizabeth who feels slighted by her and files a patent for her blood testing device, sparking a legal battle.
Macy is a critically acclaimed actor with decades of unforgettable performances throughout his career. His breakthrough role was in the Coen Brothers’ crime masterpiece Fargo. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a mild-mannered family man who has his wife kidnapped to get out of financial trouble.
2 Naveen Andrews – Lost (2004-2010)
Although Elizabeth struggles to connect with many people her own age, she makes a deep connection with Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews). The former businessman becomes one of the few people Elizabeth can turn to, even as their romantic relationship grows more troubled and his involvement in her business further complicates matters.
Like Sayid on Lost, Andrews has become one of the popular series’ fan-favorite characters and one of its main heroes. After the survivors of a plane crash on a mysterious island, Sayid became one of the leaders against the many threats they faced.
1 Amanda Seyfried – Mean Girls (2004)
Amanda Seyfried gives a compelling and complex performance as Elizabeth Holmes on the show. She presents the protagonist as a human being with real qualities that make the audience invested in her journey, but she’s also not shy about showing Elizabeth’s flaws.
Seyfried’s exciting career was launched with his role as a scene stealer in the teen comedy mean girls. As a member of the titular popular girls, Seyfried was hilarious as the very dumb Karen.
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