THE DROPOUT

April 25th, 2022 by Kimberly Leonard SDSA

Set Decorator Kimberly Leonard SDSA

Set Decorator Regina O'Brien SDSA*

Production Designer Cat Smith

Hulu

Still in headlines today, awaiting sentencing in September, Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of the biotech company Theranos, had rocketed to the pinnacle of microfluidics technology entrepreneurship, landing on the covers of Fortune and Forbes magazines in 2014 as “the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire” for her company’s seemingly breakthrough blood-testing device, purporting to not only “change the world, but change the world for good”. By the end of the following year, revelations in the press about the inaccuracies of the tests, and the steps Holmes and Theranos COO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani took to hide the information, brought on a series of legal investigations leading to a Federal Grand Jury indicting them on multiple counts of fraud.

It’s a tech fairy tale/nightmare with all of the trappings of Silicon Valley, except that it is a true story!

The Limited Series THE DROPOUT takes us into the world of this “unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong,” as HULU describes, conveyed by the dynamic and oft times uncannily accurate sets by Production Designer Cat Smith, Set Decorator Kimberly Leonard SDSA who was responsible for the permanent sets and establishing episodes, Set Decorator Regina O’Brien SDSA who handled the swing sets for the final episodes... and their seemingly indefatigable teams. We were particularly curious about the Theranos configuration, and all the various labs depicted to get to that point, so Kimberly has shared with us some great behind-the-scenes notes.
Note: Look for an article with Regina next month re: her upcoming show: I LOVE THAT FOR YOU! And check out our fabulous article with Kimberly, in 2021, for the phenomenal sets on BLINDSPOTTING!
And, as always, enjoy!
Karen Burg
Editor

From Set Decorator Kimberly Leonard SDSA...
“I first learned of “The Dropout” project right before the Covid shutdown in 2020. I had been following the Elizabeth Holmes case since the beginning and was completely obsessed! So, when I was asked to set decorate by Cat Smith in 2021, she could barely finish the sentence before I said ‘Yes’!”

“The challenge of block shooting four episodes at once...tons of sets over multiple time periods, including countless labs...and, of course, the crown jewel of the sets, the Theranos headquarters at Page Mill. I couldn’t wait to start collaborating. This was going to be a great challenge.”

“Where to start? We knew that everything for ALL sets had to be planned and ordered right away! We were finding that with several things at work...like our tricky schedule, lots of and far locations, shipping containers being backed up, Covid supply chain issues, etc...staying focused on timelines was going to be even trickier than usual.”

"Theranos headquarters, Page Mill was, by far, the most challenging, and rewarding, set. The open concept design, distance and scale...approximately 60,000 sq ft, including labs...made this our biggest challenge. This was on location, created at an existing office building where a floor was gutted, reconfigured, and re-created to emulate Theranos. This is the set that most people think of when they think ‘Theranos’! There were over 150 workstations created, including custom tables made by our Construction team, that could be seen throughout the multiple walk-and-talks of the set.”

Theranos...In this closer view of that work area, you can see clients waiting in the glass meeting room, right. Note the details for the individual workstations, including someone has received a Valentine’s gift! Not only does it bring more character to the space, it also subtly defines time of year, no calendars on the wall here! Screen image courtesy ©2021 Hulu.

“To create the workstations, multiples of period (and working!) Apple desktop set ups, telephones, rolling chairs, guest chairs, file cabinets, customized Theranos folders, window shades, plus actual motorized blinds and drapery (for Elizabeth and Sunny’s Offices).
The work on this set was constant, customizing each workstation and office, until it was completed and revealed! The Set Dressing crew was critical to making these sets come alive. Their experience, focus, and eye for detail was crucial.”

Theranos, Sunny’s office...CEO/Founder Elizabeth Holmes [Amanda Seyfried] and COO Sunny Balwani [Naveen Andrews] scramble to find solutions to their technological failures, while trying to keep a veil of secrecy about them. Photo by Beth Dubber ©2021 Hulu.

Amanda Seyfriend gives 20/20 a tour of the set...

And there's so much more!
Click on SHOW MORE PHOTOS below to see how the labs evolved with the story and the mystery of the secrets and lies, including a secret lab!

* Set Decorator credits for THE DROPOUT:
Set Decorator Kimberly Leonard SDSA: Episodes 1-6
Set Decorator Regina O'Brien SDSA: Episodes 6-8

SHOW MORE PHOTOS

Stanford Lab... “While shot on location in an actual empty lab space, we still had the challenge of depicting this as a collegiate level and period lab, but well-funded,” notes Set Decorator Kimberly Leonard SDSA. Pictured: Amanda Seyfried as Stanford student Elizabeth Holmes. Photo by Beth Dubber ©2021 Hulu.

Stanford Lab...Channing Robertson [Bill Irwin], Stanford Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering, who later becomes a Theranos board member, and Rakesh Madhava [Utkarsh Ambudkar], who becomes one of the first Theranos employees, are enticed by the possibilities Elizabeth [Amanda Seyfried] presents. Photo by Beth Dubber ©2021 Hulu.

“I knew the initial labs had to look a bit “less funded”, as she was just starting out and had just enough money to get the labs going...but we still needed room for the bigger reveal later.” Theranos first labs were Chemical and Engineering. Here, in the Chemical lab, Stephen Fry as the British biochemist who becomes the Theranos chief scientist. Screen image courtesy ©2021 Hulu.

Theranos first labs: In need of money, Elizabeth [Amanda Seyfried] brings her fledgling technology to the venture capitalists of Silicon Valley, and in this case, brings Don Lucas [Michael Ironside] to her engineering lab! Photo by Beth Dubber ©2021 Hulu.

Theranos first labs: “These two early labs were the most fun! They have more layers and are a lot less strict/clean, which was a way I could represent the bit of the phrenetic mindset she had. Although Elizabeth had great ideas, getting there was a bit chaotic, and where better to experience that?” Screen image courtesy ©2021 Hulu.

Theranos first labs: Here, biochemist Ian Gibbons [Stephen Fry] and first-hire engineers Edmond Ku [James Hiroyuki Liao]and Rakesh Madhava [Utkarsh Ambudkar] work to create the “Edison”, the hopefully revolutionary blood-testing machine. Screen image courtesy ©2021 Hulu.

Theranos first labs: “She was willing to try anything to get the ‘Edison’ going. You will see everything in those early-stage labs from antiquated equipment to automotive tools, dishwashing gloves, hand-held carryalls, no uniformity anywhere.” Utkarsh Ambudkar, James Hiroyuki Liao. Screen image courtesy ©2021 Hulu.

“For the Jurassic lab, this had to be a dead ringer. All of the research and what few pictures that were able to be located showed Elizabeth Holmes in this lab with the blue and white worktables. In actuality, those work “benches” became an interesting footnote since they were not actual, traditional lab benches...these were more workstations. Did Elizabeth choose these for their aesthetic value? They certainly made a statement.” BTS photo courtesy Hulu.

Jurassic lab... “To re-create that lab, I was able to find a company that had these particular units. Only problem was, they weren’t able to meet our deadline. Through much research, I found the manufacturer in another country. It took time and a bit of convincing but, working together, we were able put together combinations of 48 units that would soon create the Jurassic lab! They flat shipped all of the boxes, and the crew got to work assembling.” BTS photo courtesy Hulu.

Jurassic lab...Fresh out of college and newly employed by Theranos, Tyler Schultz and Erika Cheung discover shocking truths about Elizabeth and the company. Erika Cheung [Camryn Mi-young Kim], Tyler Shultz [Dylan Minnette], and Daniel Young [Shaun J. Brown]. Photo by Michael Desmond ©2021 Hulu.

Normandy secret lab...”For the labs, I had to find FIVE actual working Siemens machines. These were critical since they were a story point; after all, this is where Elizabeth was attempting to replicate the technology from. I was able to source a vendor from out of state who was a dealer in hospital equipment. We worked together to source multiples of these machines, and transport. After months of coordinating, coming from all over the country, transporter getting in an accident and impounded, and many more hiccups, the machines arrived the day before they were due to be on camera!” Shown: Erika [Camryn Mi-young Kim] discovers the fakery.

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