50 years on from the release of Jaws, Steven Spielberg says that he thought the shark thriller would end his career.
"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,'" Spielberg said at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles during an introduction for its new Jaws exhibition (via Variety).
Production on the movie was blighted by issues, from a temperamental animatronic shark to even more temperamental conditions filming on the Atlantic Ocean and a shoot that went 100 days over schedule.
Spielberg was only 26 during filming, but the film went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time (until Star Wars: A New Hope bested it two years later).
"The camaraderie that happens when you’re just trying to survive something, it brought all of us closer together," Spielberg added. "I’ve never been closer to a crew or a cast until many years later, but this was the ultimate example that when you work as a team, you can actually get the ball across the finish line. I’m very proud of the movie. The film certainly cost me a pound of flesh, but gave me a ton of career."
Jaws stars Roy Scheider as Martin Brody, the police chief of Amity Island, a New England beach resort rocked by a series of aquatic murders. Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw play the scientist and shark hunter who help him take down their water-bound foe.
Jaws is currently back in theaters for its 50th anniversary re-release. For more on the movie, check out our feature on why Jaws is still a blockbuster in a league of its own, or fill out your watchlist with our guide to this year's best upcoming movies.
