Exclusive Interview: Jake Satow Talks Hulu’s The Dropout

Jake Satow is a rising young star who has taken the industry by storm. He’s brought the most complex characters to life with ease in projects including Adeline, Flopsee and Buttercup, and The Incident.

Currently, he stars in Hulu’s The Dropout, which chronicles Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ attempt to revolutionize the healthcare industry after dropping out of college and starting a technology company. Jake shines as the younger version of Elizabeth’s brother.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jake about his career, The Dropout, and where you can see him next!

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
Jake: I have always loved performing ever since I can remember. I think I first fell in love with acting while watching Disney’s Lion King and Newsies on Broadway when I was about four years old. I knew I had to act. My mom said I literally tried to climb up on the stage! I performed in our local community theater and knew I loved working with other actors and working hard to give the best performance that I could. Then I booked my first commercial and decided film was really my calling after that and went out to learn all I could about film acting. I took as many classes as I could in acting and singing in both New York and LA and have really been working hard ever since!

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jake: There are a lot of people who have really supported me along the way, including my parents and my siblings. I’m also grateful to have a really great team that includes my agent, Rebecca Ek, my manager, Nikki Mincks, and my PR manager, Melissa Berger. There have been several directors along the way who have really helped me grow: Disney/Nickelodeon director Wendy Faraone, who directed Saving Christmas Spirit, which is a Christmas film I just wrapped, Michael Showalter, who directed us in The Dropout, and Mike Mills, who directed a really cool music video I got to be in. They were all really amazing, and I learned so much from each of them. I’ve also been really lucky to have had some amazing acting coaches and classes along the way, from Camp Hollywood to The Groundlings to Cool Beans Comedy Club, Class Act New York, and others. I just really try to soak up everything I can from every experience.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Jake: It’s hard to narrow it down to a particular moment, but if I had to pick just one I’d say probably the time I got to spend with Amanda Seyfried working on The Dropout. She was so incredibly supportive, kind, and generous with her time on set, and she really gave me some great advice not just about my acting career but about life.

PC: Tell us about The Dropout, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Jake: The Dropout is such an amazing true story. It’s about Elizabeth Holmes, the world’s first, young, self-made female billionaire. She rises to power with her company Theranos and manages to grab the attention of influential people like Steve Jobs and convince them to invest in her ideas. But as fast as the company rises, it completely crashes.

I play Elizabeth’s younger brother, Christian Holmes. Christian eventually grows up to also work for Theranos. He was pretty much by her side throughout the whole drama that plays out at Theranos. They also share the common experience of their dad losing his job at Enron, and this sort of becomes a life-changing event for my sister. I really enjoyed playing Elizabeth’s brother Christian because I got to be a little bit sassy and it was a really fun role.

I was drawn to the project immediately when I learned what it was about because it’s gotten so much attention this year in the news and through a book that was written about her life and a pretty in-depth podcast. I love a true story, and this one is really good!

PC: In addition to The Dropout, you have a couple of other projects that you’re working on. Are there any that you can talk about at this time?
Jake: In April, I’ll appear in the upcoming series Gaslit on Starz. It’s based off another podcast called Slow Burn. It follows the Watergate Scandal and stars Julia Roberts and Sean Penn. It tells the Watergate story from a little bit of a different perspective than most people have heard before. I play Howard Hunt’s kid in Gaslit.

I also just wrapped a Christmas movie filmed in Scotland called Saving Christmas Spirit. It’s a rom-com with Ashley Newbrough from Privileged and James Robinson from Braveheart and Outlander. My character, Finn, is a high school rugby player with his own parallel story. He is working hard to connect with Caitrin, who is trying to get a girls’ rugby team started at the high school. Caitrin is played by Layla Burns, who has also been seen in Outlander.

And later this summer, I will appear in the upcoming film Adeline. Adeline is a family movie based on true events. It’s about a healing horse named Adeline that works with young people with disabilities, and she also saves the lives of several characters during a tornado. My character, Jason, is very much attached to Adeline—and also another character, but I don’t want to give away too much!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jake: The Office.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jake: Step Brothers.

PC: Favorite book?
Jake: Harry Potter.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jake: Hamilton.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jake: AJR.

PC: Dream role?
Jake: Any role in a Marvel movie, but for sure Thor!

To keep up with Jake, follow him on Instagram. Watch The Dropout on Hulu today.

Photo Credit: Lilly K Photography