NEW YORK ­- After embodying Steve Jobs in his new movie, Ashton Kutcher came to admire how the Apple Computer founder was able to balance his public and personal lives.

“He was better at it than I am,’’ the 35-year-old actor said.

“This business has a propensity to force you to be more public than you probably want to be,’’ Kutcher acknowledged of show business.

He should know. The actor has seen his share of tabloid headlines after his very public breakup with actress Demi Moore and his current relationship with his former “That 70s Show’’ co-star Mila Kunis.

But Kutcher says he’s getting better at it.

“I think I’ve learned how to restrict that public image and over the years I’m starting to understand the value of privacy,’’ he said.

In the film, he plays the technology prophet, who along with Steve “Woz’’ Wozniak ignited the personal computer revolution.

Jobs died two years ago after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.

Kutcher said that researching the role he found there was a “Steve that Steve didn’t always want to show.’’

He added that the most important aspect of playing such a public figure was to understand that the version of Jobs we know best came much later.

“The guy with the glasses and the jeans and black turtleneck and the New Balance shoes giving a keynote speech to present some new, great, next, amazing product .?.?. He wasn’t always that guy. He actually evolved into that person in the same way that I’m not the same today at 35 as I was at 25, and I was at 15,’’ Kutcher said.

Kutcher made the comments at the New York premiere of his new film, “Jobs.’’

Kutcher said playing Jobs on screen “was honestly one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever tried to do in my life,” at the premiere of the biopic at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

“It was kind of like throwing myself into this gauntlet of, I know, massive amounts of criticism because somebody’s going to go ‘well, it wasn’t exactly .?.?. ,’?” Kutcher said at that time.

While the filmmakers say they tried to be as historically accurate as possible, there was also a disclaimer at the very end of the credits that said portions of the film might not be completely accurate.

The film opens on Aug. 16 in North America. It is scheduled to be released on Aug. 29 in Korea. AP