Steve Jobs movie isn’t really about Steve Jobs at all, says Kate Winslet

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Kate Winslet (left) plays Joanna Hoffman (right) in Steve Jobs.
Winslet says the Mac's legendary marketing guru was one of the few people who didn't need anything from Steve Jobs.
Photo: Kate Winslet/Joanna Hoffman

The Steve Jobs movie isn’t really about Steve Jobs at all, claims actress Kate Winslet, who plays Joanna Hoffman, the legendary Macintosh marketing chief, in the upcoming film.

In a new interview, Winslet opens up about the movie, and says that it is more about one man’s ability to change the world — for better or worse.

“Sorkin makes it almost not about Steve Jobs at all,” Winslet says. “It’s about how that man has 100 percent dictated how we all live our lives today and how we function as people. The film is about all of us, and all of us today, not in ’84 or ’88 or ’98. I mean, look at us all — how we function. You look at a lot of toddlers today, they’ll pick up any screen of any kind, and they don’t push a button, they swipe. It’s horrifying but kind of extraordinary, and that is Steve Jobs. As a parent of a small child, it’s alarming.”

Winslet’s interview also contains a few fascinating insights; touching on such topics as the film’s troubled production history (“[First it had director] David Fincher, and then it was Leo and then it was Christian Bale and then it moved on to Danny with Michael, and all the Sony hacks, et cetera.”) and the fact that Winslet herself was a second choice for the role (the part of Hoffman may have originally been offered to Natalie Portman.)

Winslet also describes what, for me, would be one of the major concerns about an Aaron Sorkin film: messing up one of the complex tracking shots.

“You sure as hell don’t want to. But I can still remember all of it, everything. If we have to go and perform it tomorrow onstage, I’ll bet you anything we could still remember our lines. With Sorkin dialogue, by the way, if you drop a word, the whole thing unravels and just turns to dog shit.”

Finally Winslet reveals that she spent a lot of time with the real Joanna Hoffman, and comes out with a fascinating insight about her:

“One thing that was unique about [Hoffman] as a figure in Steve’s life was that she didn’t need anything from him. She just needed for him to be the best version of himself. And that’s what really set their relationship apart from any relationship with all his other colleagues.”

If you’re looking forward to the Steve Jobs movie, the entire interview is well worth a read. Personally, the more I hear about it, the more intrigued I am. I thought Sorkin’s The Social Network was brilliant, and everything about this movie — down to its unique rehearsal process — makes me think we should be in for an acting masterclass.

Are you excited about Steve Jobs? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Source: Vulture

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