It's not an easy gig to play Steve Jobs. The man was certainly a complex human, often tough in relationships while capable of thinking outside-the-box when it came to design, product and image. It would be daunting to play the former Apple head honcho, and Michael Fassbender knew it, even before he started having to get into costume for the gig. He recently revealed that he was so apprehensive of taking the lead in Steve Jobs that he considered breaking his arm to get out of the gig, and that wasn't even the only time he tried to quit. Michael Fassbender said:
When the script arrived for me and the opportunity to play the part I really thought, 'This is not me, this should be somebody else. It's a miscast scenario.' Then I spoke to my agent and my dad and they were like, 'You've got to go for it.' But at the beginning in rehearsals I was trying to find a way to get out of the job. I remember telling my driver, 'If I put my arm in the door and you slam it, it should cause a break and should get me out of this gig.'
Michael Fassbender has previously spoken out about how "dense" Danny Boyle's film was and how he really did feel like he was miscast. However, this new quote seems to indicate he actually tried to get out of the gig via his agent and then told The Irish Sun he talked to his driver about breaking his arm to help him pass on the gig. It looks like Michael Fassbender really, really wasn't excited about playing the lead in Steve Jobs.
Obviously it worked out alright, however, as the actor revealed that he--smartly--did not end up breaking his arm. Still, it does give you a sense of the state of mind the actor was in around the time that production was underway.
But I thankfully didn't and I just went back to my room and continued learning the lines.
Clearly, there were some daunting moments in that process. The movie only ended up doing OK at the box office, but it was extremely well-liked critically and that translated into awards season, where Kate Winslet and the screenplay won Golden Globes and both Winslet and Michael Fassbender earned nominations at the Academy Awards.
Michael Fassbender has taken a lot of memorable gigs over the years, including turns in Inglorious Basterds, Shame, X-Men: First Class, 12 Years A Slave and many more. Steve Jobs also stands out among those big roles, so it was probably worth all of the turmoil to power through it. Probably.
You can next catch Michael Fassbender in Alien: Covenant, out next weekend. To take a look at what else is coming to theaters this summer, check out our full guide.
