13 Facts About ‘Jaws’ to Sink Your Teeth Into

One of the most iconic theme songs in film history. One of the most legendary lines in horror films (“We’re going to need a bigger boat”). It literally made people afraid to go into the water. It invented the modern blockbuster. And it launched the career of fledgling director Steven Spielberg. Today, he’s one of the most celebrated directors of the modern age, but at the time of Jaws’ filming, Spielberg was just a young director with a huge budget, an ambitious concept, and one of the most fearsome villains ever put on screen. It was a long road from the script to the water, though. Here, for your consideration, are thirteen things you didn’t know about Jaws.

1. The On-Set Tension Was Real

In the film, shark hunter Quint and consulting oceanographer Matt Hooper are constantly at odds throughout the course of the story. As it turns out, Robert Shaw, who plays Quint, and Richard Dreyfuss, who played Hooper, really didn’t like each other in real life. Of course, Spielberg, in turn, got some great intensity from the men when it came to squabbling on the ship.