Ashton Kutcher went through a rigorous three months of learning everything he could about Steve Jobs before playing the Apple co-founder in the upcoming biopic "jOBS."
After watching documentaries and interviews from the Silicon Valley Historical Association, collecting YouTube content Inspired By Jobs and listening to Soundcloud files, Kutcher noticed a few patterns about Jobs' personality.
The 35-year-old actor recently opened up on Quora about what he learned from his research:
Read Quote of Ashton Kutcher's answer to Ashton Kutcher: How did Ashton Kutcher prepare for his role as Steve Jobs in the new movie Jobs? on Quora
But, cautions Kutcher, "I quickly found that, while learning 'how a person is' ultimately is the key, you have to learn 'why a person is.'"
"So I started to consume what he consumed," Kutcher explains. Below is a list of what the actor researched for the role:
The books Jobs read:
• Autobiography of a Yogi : Paramahansa Yogananda
• Mucusless Diet Healing System: Arnold Ehret
• Be Here Now: Ram Dass.
Researching the artists Jobs admired:
Bauhaus
Folon
Ansel Adams
Eating the food Jobs ate:
Grapes
Carrot Juice
Popcorn
Studying the Entrepreneurs Jobs admired:
Edison
Edwin Land
Meeting the people that he knew and worked with:
Alan Kay
Avi Tevanian
Jeffery Katzenberg
Mike Hawley
But before throwing himself into the role, Kutcher said he struggled with taking on a character he admired who wasn't necessarily portrayed positively in the film.
"I had great reservations," Kutcher explains on Quora. "But I chose to take on the role for a couple reasons."
I imagined actors playing the role and not connecting to the love that went into some of the seemingly irrational decisions that Steve sometimes made.
The idea of playing the role terrified me. I've found that the greatest rewards I've received in my life have come from jumping at the opportunities to take on things that scare me.
It was a perfect convergence in my craft and my interests. I've spent the last 5 years working with early stage technology companies as an investor and advisor. Whenever you take on a role, it's like a crash course in the subject matter of the film. So while researching the role I was able to spend countless hours studying tech design, product, and history. It also afforded me the opportunity to meet with several of Steve's peers who happen to be icons of the tech world.
I wanted to remind entrepreneurs that Steve Jobs wasn't always "Steve Jobs", that he struggled, that he failed, and that he rigorously persevered to build something great to improve other people's lives.
To read the full Quora post, click here >
Now watch the "jOBS" trailer and judge how Kutcher did below. The movie opens August 16.
SEE ALSO: Woz Says The Scene From New Steve Jobs Movie Is 'Totally Wrong'
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