The day Steve Jobs retired from Apple in August 2011, “Jobs” executive producer Mark Hulme noticed that the entire IT department of his company buzzing as if there had been some national tragedy.
That’s when he decided that he wanted to make a movie about Jobs’ life. “I remember [his retirement] creating such a commotion within our own walls, and thought, well that’s the story that we’d like to do,” Hulme said in an interview with The Daily Caller. (RELATED: ‘Jobs’ movie review)
Hulme, who spent most of his career in the publishing industry, tapped a writer and a group of researchers to create an accurate screenplay depicting Jobs and Apple from its humble beginnings to the triumphant release of the revolutionary iPod.
“The story that we wanna focus on is the story that many people might not be aware. His thought process, his brief time in school where he became, you know he audited a calligraphy class, he fell in love with type fonts, understood the importance of that obviously, it influenced his product development greatly, ” Hulme said. “And so we want now, that especially for the younger generation that’s walking around, totally enamored, loyal almost to a fault to their Apple products, but not really understanding were it came from.”
It only took screenwriter Matt Whitely two months to complete the first draft. After that, it didn’t take long for the producers to find their lead, Ashton Kutcher.
“It happened very very quickly, ” Hulme said. “[Kutcher] read the script in one day, and two days later he was meeting the director. And from our standpoint it was a very easy decision to make.”
Telling the story “without any embellishment” was important, Hulme said, because Jobs’ story is so inherently inspiring. The filmmakers had a few of Jobs’ friends and family consulting on the project, including his college friend Daniel Kottke and Jobs’ stepmother, Marilyn Jobs.
“The first week of filming actually took place in the home where the first investment in Apple took place. We did have the privilege of Steve Job’s stepmother who still lives in the original house, and so we did have the privilege of shooting those scenes in the living room where the money was initially invested that seed in the company, ” Hulme said. “That was in the living room. And the backyard scenes are in the backyard. And in the trailer you’ll see the house, and that is the house in Palo Alto where the greatest company in the world started. And it was kind of a goosebump moment for the cast and crew to be there.”
Hulme said that “Jobs” isn’t just the story of Steve Jobs and Apple; it’s also a story of “perseverance.”
[I]t’s inspirational in that how you can get knocked off the horse and get right back up. It’s a lesson in perseverance,” Hulme said. “But you forget that this man went through so much struggle to get there. And not only did he suffer. And he was obviously not a massively happy person.”
“Those who worked around him suffered greatly to get there. So beautiful things, great things, things that change peoples’ lives and went on to change the world, it’s all about hard work and perseverance. And failing and repeating and trying again and again.”