The Shark is Broken, a Broadway play about the making ofJaws, has earned solid reviews, but one notable figure is not a fan of the production.Richard Dreyfuss, who starred in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 thriller as marine biologist Matt Hooper, recently toldVanity Fairthat he was depicted as a fool in the play, which “hurt because it wasn’t true.”
Written by Joseph Nixon and Ian Shaw (Jawsstar Robert Shaw’s son), the behind-the-scenes comedy-drama explores the relationship between co-stars Dreyfuss, Shaw and Roy Scheider, who often encountered film delays as a result of mechanical issues with the sharks utilized in the film. WatchingThe Shark is Broken, Dreyfuss tells the publication was “pretty awful,” adding:
“Ian [Shaw]—who has more than any right to write whatever he wants—never called me and said, ‘Give me some background.’ Or, ‘Give me your take on this and this.’ And they just decided to make my character a big jerk.”
A significant point in the play’s plot focuses on an alleged feud between the Mr. Holland’s Opus actor and Shaw. According to Dreyfuss, though, a feud between the two actors was non-existent:
“There were people on the crew who said, ‘What’s this Richard Dreyfuss–Robert Shaw show that’s going on here?’ When we were surrounded by lots of other people, Robert would take digs at me, and I would take a dig at him. But that was only to make the hours go better, faster. We didn’t take any of that seriously.”
Dreyfuss does admit that there was one heated incident that occurred between the two: after Dreyfuss threw Shaw’s bourbon over the edge of the boat, Shaw reacted by soaking Dreyfuss with water from a hose. Despite that hiccup, The Academy-Award-winning actor maintains there was no bad blood between the two:
“That was the only day I lost my sense of humor. That was not a feud. A feud went on forever. We never had any bad feeling between us, ever.”
Related:The Meg 2 Director Names Jaws As Main Inspiration For The Trench: “The Greatest Shark Film Of All Time”
Richard Dreyfuss Blames Steven Spielberg for Spreading Feud Rumors
Reports of animosity between Dreyfuss and Shaw have circulated for years, with outlets claiming thatDreyfuss' arrogance and Shaw’s problems with alcoholwere to blame. Dreyfuss says he caught wind of these rumors 30 years afterJawswrapped, and he points the finger at Spielberg and screenwriter Carl Gottlieb for circulating a narrative they knew was not factual.
“I don’t think they just gave it any thought that it would hurt me, and it did. I have to say that Carl and Steven knew better, knew that there was no feud. There was an ongoing kind of humor between us. If you only saw us on the set, then you might think that there was something—a feud that was going on—but it was never real. Never. And I hold that against Carl and Steven.” He adds: “I have enormous respect for Steven’s talent as a director. I guess I don’t have as much for his talent as a friend.”
Following their collaboration onJaws, Dreyfuss and Spielberg reunited for 1977’sClose Encounters of the Third Kindand the1989 romantic fantasy filmAlways.
The Shark is Brokenmade its Broadway premiere in August, and performances are scheduled to end on Jun 28, 2025. It stars playwright Shaw as his late father,Arrow’sColin Donnell as Scheider, and Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice the Musical) as Dreyfuss.
