Steven Spielberg has revealed a brutal confrontation with a Hollywood celebrity prior to the release of Jaws. The acclaimed filmmaker catapulted to stardom with his 1975 blockbuster thriller, which became notorious for its troubled production.
Adapted from Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel, the film chronicles a small seaside community terrorised by Great White shark assaults and the local officials’ quest to hunt the predator down.
Spielberg predominantly filmed the horror flick on the open ocean, employing a mechanical shark for the most terrifying sequences.
Regrettably, the mechanical beast suffered constant technical breakdowns, causing substantial production setbacks, reports the Mirror US. Weather conditions also created headaches for the director, who had helmed just one feature film previously.
“We’re not sailors. We were filmmakers and we were a film company. And we were way out of our element,” Spielberg recalls.
“There were times, making that movie, where I thought Jaws would probably be the last thing I ever made before people would stop hiring me.”
The Oscar-winning director shares these insights in Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, a retrospective documentary arriving on Hulu this Friday, July 11th.
Alongside backstage anecdotes, the National Geographic production includes archive material from Jaws’ filming and conversations with the original cast.
While the filmmaker was trying to salvage the production, word of his on-set difficulties quickly became the talk of Hollywood.
“I mean it was reported everywhere,” remarked Star Wars creator George Lucas in the documentary.
The press wasn’t alone in its fascination with the troubled project; Spielberg also remembers a disheartening encounter with an actor, who doubted his future in the industry due to the notorious setbacks and increasing budget.
“About sixty days into the schedule, and we were already like twenty days behind schedule. Somebody from Hollywood, an actor, came up to me and said ‘Everybody’s talking about you, you’re never gonna get a job after this movie because you’re irresponsible with the budget,” the acclaimed director shared.
Spielberg continued: “This actor was so sure I would never work again, they didn’t care if they told me that. It was a very mean thing, by the way, to do.”
Though he tried to shrug off the negative comment, the 78-year-old admits it was “demoralising”.Yet, amidst the difficulties, the renowned filmmaker found solace in the support from fellow cinematic giants.
“Martin Scorsese used to come over to the set, from New York,” Spielberg revealed.
Scorsese would make trips down to Martha’s Vineyard, offering a sympathetic ear and sharing Spielberg’s distress over the challenging shoot.
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres Friday 11th July at 8pm on National Geographic and streams the same day on Disney+