I thought my career was virtually over’: Steven Spielberg recalls making of ‘Jaws’ as film celebrates 50th anniversary

WASHINGTON: Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg recalled working on ‘Jaws’ in 1974 and dealing with budget issues that made him think if he would ever find work in Hollywood, even believing his career was “virtually over” at 26 years old, reported People.

The famed director attended a preview for the ‘Jaws: The Exhibition’ at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and candidly spoke about the beloved film, as well as its early doubters.

“I thought my career was virtually over halfway through production on Jaws because everybody was saying to me, ‘You are never going to get hired again. This film is way over budget and way over schedule, and you are a real liability as a director and you are not going to get hired again’,” he recalled, adding, “So I really thought that I’d better give this my all because I’m not working in the industry again after they see the movie. And fortunately, fortune smiled on us”.

While some of the crew had their doubts, Jaws director Steven Spielberg stayed sure: he knew he’d finish what he started.

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story is now streaming on @DisneyPlus and @hulu. pic.twitter.com/JIXN3iTtKA

— National Geographic TV (@NatGeoTV) August 2, 2025

‘Jaws’ is a 1975 thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg. Based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley. The film grossed nearly USD 500 million worldwide, according to multiple box office estimates. The 50-year-old film is regarded as an all-time classic.

“I just really was not ready to endure the amount of obstacles that were thrown in our path, starting with Mother Nature. I really thought my hubris was that we could take a Hollywood crew, go out 12 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean and shoot an entire movie with a mechanical shark. I thought that was going to go swimmingly,” he said. “I had really no idea that the second you tempt Mother Nature and tempt fate, everything starts to conspire against you and us,” as quoted by People.

Filming Jaws, which was never intended to be a “shark movie,” was an “exercise in hubris and futility,” Spielberg said, adding that they were 100 days over schedule. “Because all of us never wanted to quit, and that was the whole reason we finished the movie”, he noted.

In fact, Spielberg was given several opportunities to bow out, which would have ended with Jaws never being made, as opposed to a different director stepping in. Every week, he had crew members asking him when filming would finish, as they grew weary of the lengthy shoot, according to People.

“I didn’t know when we were going to wrap until two weeks before we wrapped on Martha’s Vineyard. That’s how little control we had over the shark, the weather, the currents — the regattas!” he said.

Not only was the weather a problem, but the sea itself created a myriad of issues.”In the six months out to sea, I have never seen so many people getting sick. For some reason, I never got seasick, and I think that is only because I had the weight of this production on my shoulders and I didn’t have time to get sick,” the Jurassic Park Director said. “But we finally got through this thing, and what got all of us through it was being in the company of each other. That was the key that got us through it. The camaraderie that happens when you’re just trying to survive something … it brought all of us closer together.”

‘Jaws’ was nominated for four Oscars in 1976 and won three, only missing out in the Best Picture category. Spielberg, however, did not get a Best Director nomination at the time.

The famed filmmaker recalled in National Geographic’s upcoming documentary ‘Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story’. “When a film is on the cusp of being considered for awards, it’s not so much what you want for yourself — it’s what everyone else says is going to happen for you,” said Spielberg, adding, “So I just understood, ‘I guess I’m getting nominated.” “So when I wasn’t, I was surprised. And I was disappointed,” he shared. “Because I was believing the noise, and you have to not believe that stuff.”

Despite Spielberg missing out on a Best Director nomination, ‘Jaws’ was nominated for four Oscars in 1976 and won three, only missing out in the Best Picture category. John Williams took home Best Original Score for his iconic music, while the shark thriller also clinched trophies for Best Film Editing and Best Sound, reported People. (ANI)