Universal Pictures
While it’s been almost 50 years since the release of Jaws — the movie that changed the arc of American cinema — director Steven Spielberg still harbors some regrets about the film that turned him into a household name.
During a recent interview with the BBC to promote his new semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans (a current front-runner to win Best Picture), the 76-year-old filmmaker revealed he regrets the way his film “decimated” the shark population.
“I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film,” the filmmaker said of the thriller and source material by author Peter Benchley during an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs on Sunday. “I really, truly regret that.”
Spielberg also said he feared that the remaining shark population is upset with him when asked how he would feel about sharks circling if he were on the show’s imaginary desert island. “That’s one of the things I still fear,” he said. “Not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sports fishermen that happened after 1975.” [via Entertainment Weekly]
Jaws, released in 1975, is widely considered one of the greatest American movies ever made and is also thought of as the dawn of the modern blockbuster. The movie was merely the beginning for Spielberg, who would go on to direct classics such as E.T., Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and more.
Spielberg’s latest project, The Fabelmans, is currently playing in theaters. The movie stars Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, David Lynch, Gabriel LaBelle, Julia Butters, Judd Hirsch, and more. In addition to a nomination for Best Picture, many expect Michelle Williams to be nominated for Best Actress and for Spielberg to get nominated for Best Director.
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