7. Roy Scheider Was Cast as Martin Brody During a Party
Theres plenty of interesting stories floating around about the difficult casting process of Jaws, including those of Spielbergs first choices for the lead roles of Brody, Hooper and Quint. Lee Marvin was Spielbergs first choice for Quint, but he and many others said no over a sixth month struggle, leading to Spielberg eventually casting Robert Shaw. Richard Dreyfuss was a more successful first choice, but casting Brody was another difficult undertaking. After turning to several actors with no success, Spielberg found himself discussing his casting woes with Roy Schieder during a house party. To Spielbergs surprise, Schieder excitedly put himself forward for the role there and then, and was immediately cast in the role of Police Chief Martin Brody.