‘Jaws’ Success Was Boosted by Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss’ Feud

The story behind the making of Jaws is arguably as riveting as the film itself. From inclement weather to script revisions to a constantly malfunctioning mechanical shark, Steven Spielberg‘s 1975 classic was plagued by setbacks and complications that inflated its budget to $12 million and tripled its shooting schedule from 55 to 159 days. Spielberg has bluntly described directing Jaws as a “horrendous” experience, but he wasn’t alone in suffering on-set in Martha’s Vineyard. Among those who shared in the young filmmaker’s misery were co-stars Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, whose performative animosity as grizzled shark hunter Quint and impassioned ichthyologist Hooper, respectively, wasn’t limited to the film itself. Throughout production, the two actors famously and repeatedly clashed, and their off-screen antics would ultimately give their onscreen relationship a level of authenticity that blurred the line between fiction and reality.

Jaws

Release Date

June 20, 1975

Runtime

124 minutes

Writers

Peter Benchley , Carl Gottlieb , John Milius , Howard Sackler , Robert Shaw

Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss Would Get Into It on the Set of ‘Jaws’

When Jaws was in production in 1974, Robert Shaw was a firmly established star hailing from a classically trained theatrical background, and despite being talented and full of promise, Richard Dreyfuss had only appeared in a small handful of films. According to Roy Scheider, Shaw took issue with what he perceived as arrogance and relative inexperience on his co-star’s part. “Shaw really thought that Dreyfuss needed a real slapping down,” Scheider remembers. “That he was a young punk with no stage experience.” Jaws‘ co-screenwriter Carl Gottlieb further elaborated on the origins of the feud, recalling that Shaw was a “troublemaker” and an “instigator” who liked to “get people riled up.”

One of Robert Shaw’s seemingly favorite pastimes on the set of Jaws was to get under Richard Dreyfuss’ skin whenever possible. Dreyfuss said in the 2010 documentary, Jaws: The Inside Story, “On our way to the set he was possessed by some evil troll, who would then make me his victim.” To Dreyfuss’ dismay, Shaw engaged in all manner of psychological torment. Before filming a take, he would tell his young co-star to “mind your mannerisms” and further attempt to goad him into daring feats. Steven Spielberg recalls, “Robert would basically humiliate Richard into taking a chance. Robert would say, ‘I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you climb up to the top of the mast on the Orca and jump off into the water.'” Shaw also didn’t mince words regarding Dreyfuss’ physical appearance, going so far as to call him “fat” and “sloppy.”

In addition to his naturally antagonistic personality, Shaw’s behavior as a notorious drinker led to a particularly heated exchange with Dreyfuss. On an especially tense day of shooting on the film’s iconic Orca, Robert Shaw was cradling a glass of bourbon and approached his co-star, who remembers being asked, “‘Help me out, will you, Richard?'” Dreyfuss’ idea of helping his fellow actor was anything but productive, and as Steven Spielberg recalls, “Richard took the shot glass out of Robert’s hand and threw it out the window.” While it’s not precisely known what subsequently followed, Dreyfuss has noted his subversive action struck a raw nerve with other drinkers among the cast and crew, and as Spielberg put it, “That was the shot heard around the world. It got ugly.” According to Dreyfuss, while shooting a scene later that day, Shaw retaliated by standing behind the camera and aiming a fire extinguisher at his face as he acted.

Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss Used Their Feud To Deliver Great Performances

We’ll never know to what degree the feud between Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss informed their performances in Jaws or how much of their characters’ onscreen tension fueled their bickering behind the scenes. But given what’s known about their working relationship, it’s impossible not to assume their shared animosity didn’t inform the like-minded feelings between Quint and Hooper as cameras rolled. From the first time they share the screen, with Quint chiding Hooper as a wealthy city boy and Hooper standing in defiance of Quint’s “working class hero crap,” the tension and mutual resentment is immediately palpable.

Despite their contentious attitudes towards one another, their fraught relationship makes for light moments as they pursue a man-eating shark. From sizing each other via crushing beer cans and plastic cups to taking verbal potshots at one another, Quint and Hooper bring comic relief to an otherwise dire situation, giving audiences moments to relate to and appreciate the contrasting personalities at work. While it’s a seminal thriller with no shortage of scares and spectacle, Jaws is notable for its creation of drama and suspense through the evolving dynamics among its three key players, and the off-screen antics between Shaw and Dreyfuss undoubtedly contributed to that sense of believability.

Despite Their Feud, Richard Dreyfuss Has Incredible Respect for Robert Shaw

He may have had a difficult working experience with Robert Shaw, but in the decades since Jaws‘ debut and massive success, Richard Dreyfuss has sung the well-earned praises of his one-time nemesis. Highly competitive and theatrical as he was in the presence of others on a film set, Shaw’s larger-than-life public personality likely undermined his more compassionate tendencies, and Dreyfuss shed revealing light on the veteran performer’s demeanor behind closed doors. “In private, he was the kindest, gentlest, funniest guy you ever met,” he said in 2010. The actor would again elaborate on his respect for his late co-star on a talk show. Before his interview, he was introduced to one of Shaw’s granddaughters backstage. Visibly emotional, he remembered, “It was like closure. You have no idea how grand and large he was, and it was like he was alive again. I was thrilled to meet her.” As it turns out, this wasn’t the only time Dreyfuss unexpectedly encountered a member of Shaw’s family.

Richard Dreyfuss Crossed Paths With Robert Shaw’s Son Before His ‘Jaws’ Play

Decades after its massive success, Jaws remains a quintessential example of how the drama behind making a film can attain a status of near-mythical proportions. Though they had to deal with logistical headaches and seemingly endless problems during production, Spielberg and his trio of lead actors may have been handed a blessing in disguise by having so much extra idle time to flesh out the human elements of their film. Seeking to explore this notion, Robert Shaw’s son, Ian Shaw (a spitting image of his father), co-wrote a stage play focusing on the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the 1975 hit. Debuting in England in 2019, The Shark is Broken opened to rave reviews and has since appeared on Broadway.

Before writing and starring in The Shark is Broken, Ian Shaw crossed paths with Richard Dreyfuss as the latter was preparing to direct a theatrical production of Hamlet. But when he met the Oscar-winning actor, Shaw didn’t get the reception he had hoped for. “I went into the interview thinking that Richard would be absolutely delighted to see me,” he remembers. Upon realizing who he was meeting, however, Dreyfuss wasn’t exactly thrilled at first. “He looked as if he’d seen a ghost, you know, a bad ghost,” says Shaw. While he hasn’t elaborated on the overall tone of their meeting, it’s safe to assume that Shaw’s dead ringer resemblance to his legendary father confronted the unsuspecting Dreyfuss with bittersweet memories of his experience on Jaws.

Jaws is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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