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 But in the latest biopic to tackle the Silicon Valley
legend’s life, former Apple CEO John Sculley and co-founder
Steve "Woz" Wozniak saw a glimmer of their old friend.
"There are many times in this movie where both Woz and I said,
'Wow, this really did feel like Steve,'" Sculley told Reuters in
an interview, saying he had discussed the film with Wozniak.
Sculley, who led Apple from 1983 to 1993, is one of the key
characters in "Steve Jobs," a movie from Oscar winners Danny
Boyle and Aaron Sorkin that centers on three product launches:
1984's Macintosh, 1988's NeXT cube and 1998's iMac.
Arriving in theaters across the U.S. this week, "Steve Jobs" is
the third film focused on the tech guru’s life and, like its
predecessors, has been met with protests from insiders who say
it presents an unduly harsh portrait.
Sculley echoed those concerns, saying the film, which delves
into Jobs’ strained relationship with his daughter, shows just
one side of a complicated man.
"I knew the young Steve Jobs really well, and he was a much
bigger, better person than one could come to the conclusion if
they only saw the movie," he said.
The film devotes great attention to Jobs' relationship with
Sculley, now 76, who is depicted as both a father figure to the
entrepreneur and a target of his famous temper. Some of the
film’s most heated scenes show the men feuding over Apple’s
advertising and Jobs’ ouster.
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The scenes were embellished, but the film makers made an effort to
capture Sculley’s experiences, inviting him on set to learn his
mannerisms, Sculley said. Sorkin has said he created an
“impressionistic” portrait of Jobs, and his depiction of the dynamic
between Sculley and Jobs largely rings true, Sculley said.
“People loved working for Steve,” Sculley said. “He had a vision
that excited all of us.”
Decades after leaving Apple, Sculley’s path has converged with his
old company’s. Among his many ventures, he co-founded Obi Worldphone,
which makes smartphones featuring Silicon Valley design at a lower
price point for emerging markets. The company addresses a hole in
the market, much as Jobs’ Mac delivered a computer for everyday
consumers, Sculley said.
“I’ve always looked for opportunities to fill design gaps,” he said.
(Reporting by Julia Love; Editing by Christian Plumb)
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