Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film, JAWS, received praise for its storytelling, visual effects and actors’ performances. However, while things may have looked great on-screen, behind the scenes, the lead actors were in a feud. And that feud is the subject of Ian Shaw’s latest play, The Shark Is Broken.
It all began with a feud
In the movie, Quint the fisherman/psychotic shark hunter (Robert Shaw), Police chief Brody (Roy Scheider) and oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) all agree to go on a shark hunt. However, when issues occurred during filming, the three actors were forced into close quarters. These issues included bad weather and the mechanical shark that kept breaking down.
And with Robert Shaw, who is said to have drunk regularly on set, and Richard Dreyfuss already not getting along, Roy Scheider was put in the middle of the infamous feud.
In an interview with Sky News, Ian Shaw, the writer of the play and also Robert Shaw’s son, gave some insight:
“These three actors, with very distinctive personalities and at different stages in their careers, were kind of stuck together.
“We all know what it’s like to be in confined spaces, you know? And with different personalities, there can be quite a clash, and there certainly was between Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw.”
How “The Shark Is Broken” came to be
Even though Ian Shaw once visited his father on the set of JAWS when he was a boy, he only learned of the full extent of the behind-the-scenes chaos decades later. It was then when he released he had the perfect material to write a play.
Shaw had his doubts at first and was afraid of portraying his father in a not-so-great light.
“I felt very reluctant to engage upon it. But I do think it’s a good story.”
The play is directed by Guy Masterson and reveals the hilarious behind-the-scenes drama on one of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters.
The play opens with the three actors – Shaw, Dreyfuss, and Scheider – stuck on a boat as they wait for filming to continue. However, with foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star, the three start to “bare their teeth”.
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