In the end, I decided that this time it was better not to know. It was better just to trust. And after a second talk with Fielder a few weeks after our first conversation, I learned that Elizabeth Holmes might feel the same way.
The interview has been edited for clarity.
KATIE DRUMMOND: I have a lot of anxiety about recording interviews.
NATHAN FIELDER: Why? About losing the recording?
Yeah.
OK. You have a backup too.
I have two.
I would do the same thing.
Do you?
What?
Double-record things?
No, but if I had your job, I would.
OK. Before we get into it, I just want you to know that I know how important it is for you to preserve the experience of the film.
Yes. But you know, some people enjoy knowing what happens. I read this thing where they told people the end of a story, and then they had another group that didn’t know, and then the group that knew the ending said they enjoyed it more.
So it could just be a me thing. Maybe it is. But I love being surprised. I love the experience of just sort of not knowing.
When this interview comes out, the film will be just out in theaters. But it was a secret for three years, right?
Yeah.
My understanding is that only a few dozen people knew it was happening.
We kept it really small.
Secrecy has been a feature of your work before. What made you decide to keep it so under wraps? Why was that important to you?
I think, firstly, it was a concern on the subjects’ part. No one knew where they were at first. But while we were shooting there, paparazzi started surrounding the location and all that. So one of the understandings was, we needed to keep it secret because it could affect things with them, and we didn’t want to do anything where our involvement would be a news story or change things with them.
In addition to that, I think when stuff comes out about a thing, then the narrative is out there, and it may affect our ability to make the project. We didn’t know who we wanted to talk to or get on camera. We didn’t have a plan when we went in, so we were just like, “It’s best to operate in a place where no one knows it exists.” We thought it would be a net benefit.
