Steve Jobs remains one of the most enigmatic figures in modern history, a visionary who revolutionized personal technology while living a life full of bizarre personal habits and intense eccentricities. When director Danny Boyle and writer Aaron Sorkin released the 2015 biographical drama Steve Jobs, they created a fast-paced pressure cooker that captured the essence of his personality. Starring Michael Fassbender, the film chose not to tell a traditional life story, focusing instead on three chaotic product launches that shaped the destiny of Apple.
What makes both the man and the movie so endlessly fascinating is the wild overlap between fiction and reality. From Jobs’ strange personal rituals and obsession with design details to the intense actor preparation and real-life conflicts behind the scenes, there are countless hidden gems that most casual fans completely miss. Whether you are an Apple loyalist or a movie buff, here are 7 juicy facts about the tech mogul and his acclaimed 2015 film.
1. Michael Fassbender Looked Nothing Like Jobs But Nailed His Energy
When casting began for the film, high-profile actors like Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio were initially considered because of their closer physical resemblance to Steve Jobs. When Michael Fassbender took the role, critics were skeptical because he shared almost no physical similarities with the Apple founder. Instead of relying on heavy prosthetics or makeup tricks, Fassbender focused entirely on capturing Jobs’ intense presence, sharp cadence, and intimidating posture. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination, proving that capturing a person’s inner energy is far more powerful than simple physical mimicry.
2. Kate Winslet Used Fake Glasses To Secretly Audit For Her Role
Kate Winslet was so passionate about playing Joanna Hoffman, the legendary Apple marketing executive, that she went to extreme lengths to land the part. Knowing the filmmakers were unsure about casting a high-profile British star, Winslet bought a dark brown wig, put on thick round glasses, and took a selfie in character without wearing any makeup. She sent the photo directly to the film producer, instantly convincing the team that she could completely transform into Hoffman. Her dedication paid off, earning her a Golden Globe award for her performance.
3. The Real Steve Jobs Survived On Bizarre Fruitarian Diets
In his young adult years, Jobs embraced extreme dietary habits that heavily influenced his life and career. He practiced long periods of strict fruitarianism, eating almost exclusively apples, carrots, and grapes for weeks at a time. In fact, his inspiration for naming the company Apple came directly from one of his fruitarian diets after returning from an apple orchard, believing the name sounded fun, spirited, and not intimidating. He also believed these extreme diets eliminated bodily toxins, leading to his infamous refusal to wear deodorant or shoes around the Apple offices.
4. The Movie Was Shot In Three Distinct Visual Formats To Show Time
Director Danny Boyle used a brilliant visual technique to reflect the changing eras of technology across the three acts of the movie. The first act, set in 1984 around the Macintosh launch, was shot on grainy 16mm film to give it a raw, vintage texture. The second act in 1988 was filmed on crisp 35mm film to represent a more polished corporate world. The final act in 1998, depicting the unveiling of the iMac, was shot entirely on high-definition digital cameras to signify the dawn of the modern digital age.
5. Jobs Soaked His Feet In Corporate Toilets To Relieve Stress
During the early high-pressure days of Apple, employees frequently witnessed Jobs engaging in strange relaxation rituals around the workplace. When feeling overwhelmed by deadlines or creative blocks, he would walk barefoot into the company bathrooms and dip his feet into the toilet water to flush away stress. Colleagues often found this behavior shocking, but it perfectly illustrated his eccentric mindset and total disregard for traditional corporate decorum.
6. Steve Wozniak Was Paid As a Consultant On The Film Set
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak served as a paid consultant for the 2015 film, spending hours talking with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and actor Seth Rogen. Wozniak praised the movie for capturing the true spirit and tension of those early product launches, even if specific conversations were dramatized for theatrical effect. He noted that watching Fassbender on set brought back genuine emotional memories of his complex friendship with Jobs, validating the film’s deep psychological accuracy.
7. His Obsession With Invisible Internal Design Was Completely Real
In both the movie and real life, Jobs held a radical philosophy that products must be beautiful inside and out, even where customers would never see. During the Macintosh development in 1984, he forced engineers to redesign the interior printed circuit boards multiple times because he felt the layout looked ugly. When engineers argued that no user would ever open the machine, Jobs famously declared that a true carpenter uses good wood even for the back of a cabinet. He even made the entire original Macintosh design team engrave their signatures inside the plastic casing of every computer sold.
