Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, 78, told Variety he conducted a two-hour Interrotron interview with Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in 2015 and is now weighing a public release as the Holmes story resurfaces.
Morris, known for "The Thin Blue Line" and "The Fog of War," said he has been unable to obtain a screener of Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's docu-series "You Can See Everything," despite contacting the right people.
He confirmed he finally watched Alex Gibney's 2019 documentary "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley" for the first time, noting that his own interview appears at the film's opening and closing.
Morris explained he was hired by Holmes in 2015 to direct a series of Theranos commercials, which later drew criticism for bolstering her mythos. He said he had no reason to suspect fraud at the time, though his view changed as Holmes' legal troubles grew.
During the height of Holmes' fame, Morris asked to film an interview and completed a two-hour session that, aside from his office staff, has never been seen. He described the footage as offering a before-and-after look at Holmes.
When asked why "You Can See Everything" resonated, Morris said it taps into cultural fascination with grifters, self-delusion, true crime and Silicon Valley excess.
He recounted a recent New York Times interview with journalist John Carreyrou, discussing Holmes' self-deception and the ethical stakes of medical fraud.
Morris clarified he does not believe in God and used a Joan of Arc comparison to illustrate Holmes' belief in her own narrative.
Regarding the Theranos ads, Morris emphasized he was a commercial director, having shot roughly 1,000 spots, and that Alex Gibney likely used outtakes without his knowledge.
He admitted he does not know how Gibney obtained the footage and that the long Holmes interview remains unseen, partly because Theranos collapsed and Holmes faced prosecution.
Morris concluded that the interview shows Holmes was a true believer in her vision.
