One of Marvel Studios' upcoming X-Men stars just made a major movie cameo almost two years ahead of his MCU debut. Christopher Abbott was announced as one of the leads of the X-Men reboot at D23 earlier this year and will play Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, alongside co-stars Inde Navarette, Sadie Sink, Maya Boyd, Kit Connor, and Adam Driver. But before his turn as Professor X, Abbott made an unexpected appearance in one of the most secretive movies of the year–and it's not a Marvel project.
A24's new documentary You Can See Everything has begun to be released in theaters across North America and follows Nathan Fielder's (known for HBO's The Rehearsal) attempts to get inside the mind of the controversial businesswoman Elizabeth Holmes. Holmes was initially sentenced to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors by claiming that her company, Theranos, had developed a device capable of running any medical test. You Can See Everything examines the lives of Holmes and her boyfriend, Billy Evans, in the weeks leading up to her 2023 prison sentence.
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for You Can See Everything.
After Holmes is behind bars, You Can See Everything employs a unique tactic to depict her subsequent interactions with Fielder and the team. Fielder calls upon actress Amanda Seyfried, who famously played Holmes in the television series The Dropout, to recreate interactions he had with the real-life Holmes. Additionally, the team calls upon another actor to portray Evans in scenes with Seyfried: none other than Christopher Abbott.
This marks Seyfried and Abbott's third collaboration, following their 2025 film The Testament of Ann Lee and the TV series The Crowded Room. It appears that their scenes for You Can See Everything may have been filmed after The Testament of Ann Lee wrapped, and that Abbott was possibly recommended to Fielder for the role by Seyfried or by their mutual friend, Emma Stone, with whom he worked on Poor Things.
The inclusion of Seyfried and Abbott in You Can See Everything was kept completely under wraps until the movie's release, with their appearances serving as one of the biggest twists. Reactions to Seyfried and Abbott's involvement have left audiences speechless as the movie unexpectedly enters the realm of recreations to show pivotal scenes between Holmes and Evans that could not be filmed with the subjects in person.
One particularly jaw-dropping scene featuring Abbott depicts the initial meeting between Holmes, Evans, and directors Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, and executives from A24. In this scene, Holmes leaves the room at one point, giving Evans the opportunity to speak to the team alone, which he uses to negotiate a payment for their involvement in the documentary. The deal causes a stir at the table, as paying documentary participants is non-traditional and would skew perceptions of the film. A24 initially agrees to the deal (although it's later revealed the agreement was dropped), but it becomes a subject of contention in the movie whether Holmes knew that Evans was negotiating a payday for them or if he kept it a secret from her.
While Seyfried also becomes a subject herself in You Can See Everything, Abbott's appearances in the film are strictly limited to the recreations whenever he's needed to portray Evans. However, his appearances as Evans in his scenes are among the most astounding moments in the film, as he portrays several interactions that the real-life figure may not have wanted caught on camera or included in the film.
The decision to switch between footage of the real-life subjects and recreations with their actor counterparts is one of the most shocking twists in You Can See Everything and is upheld by incredible performances from both Seyfried and Abbott.
Christopher Abbott Gives A Jaw-Dropping Performance Ahead of MCU Debut
Abbott's surprise appearance in You Can See Everything is the second major secret the actor has had to keep in 2026, with his X-Men casting also kept under wraps until it could be announced on stage at D23 in August. Marvel Studios is an incredibly secretive company, so this is sure to be just the start of the many things that Abbott will need to keep quiet in his career, particularly as filming for X-Men begins.
Abbott's role as Professor X in the MCU is the next project on his slate, following the release of East of Eden on Netflix in October. The X-Men reboot is scheduled for release in May 2028, meaning filming for the movie is due to take place any time now and Abbott will be sworn to secrecy about his on-set dealings once again.
Marvel Studios is also well known for its cameos, so his You Can See Everything role is unlikely to be the last time that Abbott makes an unexpected appearance in a film that leaves audiences shocked.
