Actor Ashton Kutcher may be best known for his goofier comedy roles in That ‘70s Show and Two and a Half Men, but the actor takes a rare dramatic turn in new film Jobs as visionary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, which is also slated for release in Pakistan.
Kutcher, 35, who bears a strong physical resemblance to a young Jobs with his wavy dark hair, brown eyes and five o’clock shadow, told Reuters that as a fan of Jobs’ work, he was surprised to learn about his life.
“When I read the script, Steve was a guy that I really admired, and he was not always being shown in the best light, and I was a little taken aback. I really admire who he is and what he’s done. I want to, in some ways, protect the legacy of a guy that I admire,” Kutcher said.
“I also had the challenge of playing a guy who very much is still in the zeitgeist … I had to play the guy that became the guy that everybody remembers.”
Jobs, directed by Joshua Michael Stern and out in theatres on August 16, outlines 30 defining years of Apple’s co-founder, who revolutionised the way people listen to music with the iPod and home computers with Apple Macintosh.
Jobs, who helped build Apple Inc into one of the world’s most recognisable brands, died in 2011 at the age of 56 after battling pancreatic cancer.
The film chronicles Jobs’ life from the year he dropped out of college in 1973 to the inception of Apple Computer Company with his friend Steve Wozniak three years later and Apple’s subsequent rise to the forefront of the technology industry.
It also touches on aspects of Jobs’ personal life, such as his rocky relationship with ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan, played by Ahna O’Reilly, and his initial refusal to accept paternity of their daughter, Lisa.
“We didn’t shy away from being honest about Steve Jobs’ gifts and being honest about Steve Jobs’ faults,” Kutcher said.
“We tried to tell the story that did justice insomuch as showed what his contribution was and also didn’t shy away from showing that aspects of Steve Jobs that weren’t so wonderful, beautiful and sexy.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2013.
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