Nathan Fielder revealed in a new interview with Wired magazine that Elizabeth Holmes called him from prison just before the theatrical release of her new documentary, “You Can See Everything.” The call marked the first time the director and his documentary subject had spoken in six months. Former Theranos CEO Holmes is currently in federal prison after being convicted of fraud.
“She hadn’t called me in over six months. I hadn’t heard from her…she asked me how I was,” Fielder said of their conversation. “I asked her if she’d seen anything about the movie coming out and what she thought about it. She told me she’d seen some things, but most of the things she doesn’t see, so she’s heard some things, but she hasn’t really read anything. And then, at the end, she said to me, ‘I trust you.’ I said, ‘OK, thank you.’
Fielder continued: “We talked about other things. She talked about her kids and then some updates that it’s not really my place to share. But after that she said again, at the end of the call, ‘I trust you.’ And I don’t know what she meant by that.
“You Can See Everything,” directed by Fielder and “Primetime” director Lance Oppenheim, follows Holmes and his partner Billy Evans in their final weeks before Homes’ 11-year prison sentence begins. The filmmakers moved in with the couple 34 days before Holmes went to prison.
Fielder told Wired that he got involved with the project after hearing that Holmes and Evans had tried and failed to pitch a documentary about them to A24, explaining, “Months later, I heard that this had happened. So I called A24 and said, ‘Well, could I meet her?'” That was the start of everything.
But why would Holmes allow Fielder to come to her house? It’s a question that still perplexes Fielder given his previous work, whether “Nathan for You” or “The Rehearsal,” should have made Holmes realize that bringing Fielder on board wouldn’t produce anything simple or conventional.
“That’s part of the mystery that, to me, doesn’t make any sense,” Fielder said. “I asked her that question, I think, one of the first days of filming. I still don’t quite understand it. It really messed with my head. Also, I got the impression early on that she hadn’t seen much, but she had seen some of what I had done, and she had talked to people who had seen what I did. Billy had seen more. I think she found the clip that she said she saw funny. But you know, her relationship with that… with what’s funny? I don’t even know. She said her favorite movie was “Elf,” the Will Ferrell movie.
Evans appeared on the “All-In” podcast the day before “You Can See Everything” hit theaters and explained the reason the couple let Fielder and Oppenheim into their home. They mainly wanted people to get to know Holmes up close and personal so that they could decide for themselves whether she is a bad person or not.
“It was for people to see who she is,” Evans said. “I had this constant experience with the people who love me the most, from my grandmother to my best friends. They would hear that I knew (Elizabeth Holmes) or that I was falling in love with this person and now we’re having a child… at first, every one of these people thought I was crazy. ‘Do you know who she is?’ saw in a completely natural environment, like going on a hike or helping a friend Every opinion about her would change dramatically. That was the intention of the film. To help expand on that and allow other people to sit down with her and form their own opinions.
The decision backfires on Holmes, however, as “You Can See Everything” only amplifies the backlash against her. Even before the film was screened for press, A24 released a creepy trailer that left many viewers disturbed by Holmes’ behavior and claims she did nothing wrong to Theronos. The film has since become a box office success, grossing $15 million in its domestic debut, marking the biggest debut for a documentary in decades.
“You Can See Everything” is now playing in theaters nationwide. Head to Wired’s website to read Fielder’s interview in full.
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