Emotional Kutcher recalls passing on Steve Jobs...

Steve Jobs was simply a man Ashton Kutcher loved, but never knew.

"Everyone loved Steve Jobs and the idea of Steve Jobs," Kutcher told Apple Insider. "Like a lot of people, I loved a man I never knew.

Leading the line as the Apple founder in the newly released JOBS movie, the Hollywood actor emotionally recalls how he passed an opportunity to meet the ground-breaking CEO.

Talking on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the actor revealed he had to scrap plans to meet Jobs due to work commitments.

"I was working that day and couldn't go, and in hindsight I look back and think, I had the opportunity to meet the Leonardo DaVinci of our generation, and I missed it," he told host Jay Leno.

The incident clearly weighed on Kutcher, even affecting his decision to take on the role.

"I'll never forget the moment I heard that he died," he recalls.

"I realised I'd taken him for granted, and taken for granted the contribution that he actually gave to society, and I actually had a real emotional moment.