Jake Satow – The Dropout

By starrymag | March 6, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the series “The Dropout.”

 

A) “The Dropout” is a classic tale about the real-life rise and fall of a magnetic leader — Elizabeth Holmes, played by my on-screen “big sister” Amanda Seyfried.  Elizabeth Holmes was the founder of an exciting new company that was supposed to launch breakthrough medical technology that was going to change the world.  She became a young, up-and-coming, female billionaire only to lose it when people started to doubt her technology and it all came crashing down around her.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

 

A) I was familiar with the story from the news but was dying to know more about it. And more about her.  What drove her? How did she achieve so much so fast?  How did it all come to an end so dramatically?  And when I saw the cast of the show, which includes not only Amanda Seyfried, but also William Macy…I got even more excited. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work with these great actors?

 

Q) How was your character Christian originally described to you?

 

A) Young Christian was described as Elizabeth Holmes’ younger brother, kind of sarcastic and kind of a jock, really. It was an interesting character to get to play!

 

Q) Were you looking forward to sharing a scene(s) with anyone in particular?

 

A) Well, again, the cast was incredible.  As the main character’s little brother, I was stoked to shoot several scenes with Amanda Seyfried.  But I was crazy impressed with all of the cast members.

William Macy, Michel Gill and Elizabeth Marvel were also really amazing to work with and to learn from and just be around on set. I feel incredibly fortunate to have met them and to be able watch and learn from them. They were all so generous with their time and I really appreciated that. They helped me feel comfortable and confident on set and it was a great experience.

 

Q) You play the younger version to Sam Straley’s older version of Christian. Did the two of you collaborate much to create a unified character? 

 

A) Sadly, we were not able to collaborate too much.  Playing the same character at different ages meant that we were never in the same scene—go figure!  Throw in a few pandemic rules and it adds up to us not spending a lot of time together.  As it was, grownup Christian was supportive and stood by his big sister all the way.  Younger Christian was a bit more of a pain in the neck. It’s almost like two different characters in that aspect.

 

Q) What did you find the most challenging aspect of portraying Christian?

 

A) The most challenging part was separating how young Christian was supposed to feel about his big sister while at the same time knowing what her character would become.  As a business leader, Elizabeth Holmes commanded respect and worked with the most famous political and business leaders of her age. But to my character, she was just an annoying big sister and I had to treat her in a way that no one else really did.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite moments or memorable moments you had from filming “The Dropout?”

 

A) I got some very memorable one-on-one time with Amanda.  We spent most of one shoot stuffed together in an old car during the middle of a Los Angeles summer.  While it was blazingly hot, we had some terrific conversations between takes and she gave me some great advice about acting and about life generally. On another, she, my on-screen parents (Elizabeth Marvel and Michel Gill) and I were all crammed on a sofa at the house of William Macey’s character. He kept us all entertained between takes with funny stories and ukulele playing.  Throughout the whole experience that cast and crew were amazing.

 

Q) What did you personally take away from your time working on the show?

 

A) As a young actor, I’m always trying to learn as much as I can about acting and filmmaking.  I picked up a lot just observing the cast and crew—they made it all seem so easy, but I know that it’s not.  Another major realization was that the actors often can only really be as good as the story and the script.  This story is so compelling, and Amanda and the other actors took the material and knocked it out of the park.

 

Q) What are the other recent projects you have been busy working on?

 

A) I’ve got a really busy 2022. “The Dropout” is being released now.  In April, I’ll be in a Starz series called “Gaslit,” another story about the fall of another real-life person—President Nixon during the Watergate scandal.  This version, starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, tells the story from the families who lived through the scandal and how they impacted history.  In late summer I’ve got a movie coming out called Adeline.  It’s yet another real-life story about a family struggling with a child with disabilities and a unique horse that helps them overcome their difficulties.  Finally, around the holidays I’ll be in a movie called Saving Christmas Spirit, which we just wrapped in November.  It’s a magical romance that takes place in Scotland between a hometown hero and an American archaeologist looking for ancient ruins. I play Finn, a high school rugby star who has his sights set on a brave girl who wants to make a girls rugby team.  This one’s obviously NOT real-life!

 

Q) What advice would you offer other up and coming young actors and actresses?

 

A) Like anything in life, achievement in this industry takes work.  Having talent is great but doing the work and putting in your time with acting classes, local theater, school plays and any other work you can get is super important.  Acting is art, but it is also a craft and the better you can learn the craft, the better off you will be.  Young actors also need to be patient and keep trying.  Believe me, there can be a lot, I mean A LOT, of rejection.  You have to keep working, keep auditioning, keep improving and basically keep at it.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the work you do?

 

A) I feel like I’ve been so blessed to be a part of so many great projects this past year. I’m very thankful for all my fans and followers on Instagram and Facebook.  I really want them to enjoy “The Dropout” and these other projects I’ve got coming out.  It’s such a powerful story about a truly amazing figure who did incredible things.  I hope they walk away with the same feelings of wonder and surprise at the story that I did.