Michael Fassbender asked Bale for advice for Steve Jobs

Michael Fassbender asked Christian Bale for advice on playing Steve Jobs - after the 'American Hustle' star turned down the role.

Bale was previously slated to star in the biopic 'Steve Jobs' but turned down the offer to portray the late Apple co-founder in Danny Boyle's movie.

Fassbender eventually went on to get the part but he was so sure his acting peer would have fantastic in the role that he decided to call Bale to talk about it after he signed on.

Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail newspaper, he said: "I thought Christian Bale would have been fantastic for the part, so much so that I called him up and had a conversation with him - that's just the nature of it. There are plenty of people who can do what I do and there are a lot of actors who would be suitable for the part."

It was revealed in emails released in the Sony hack that Fassbender was nowhere near the top of the list of actors wanted by the production team to play Jobs but he says the information that came out doesn't bother him.

Fassbender - who has won critical acclaim for his performance in the film - explained: "I tell myself the others were never even in the picture. I'm used to the fact that a director or a producer or a team of people would want someone before me and I don't think that's unusual at all."

Fassbender stars in 'Steve Jobs' with Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels which focuses on the creation of Apple - which has gone on to become one of the biggest technology companies in the world.