10 Fascinating Behind The Scenes Facts About Jaws
8. Brody Should Have Had A Stunt Double For The Slaps
Remember Mrs Kitner, the grieving mother who lost her son in one of the first shark attacks? Roy Scheider definitely does. During the scene in which they have their showdown in front of the dead shark everyone thinks is the killer, the actress Lee Fierro slaps Chief Brody out of anger and sadness.
The story may have been fictional, but those slaps were very real. After attempting to fake slap Roy, it was decided that Lee would have to really slap him in order to achieve the desired effect. Unfortunately, this meant that Roy would receive a generous 17 slaps as Spielberg searched for the perfect slap shot during the filming process. If that isn't dedication to your job, then what is? Whether or not the 16 extra takes were needed is unconfirmed, as Spielberg was known for pulling silly little pranks while filming for his own amusement. Scheider may not have found it as amusing, but it certainly was effective in the final edit.
Who would have thought that the most physically testing scene in the movie would be the scene between Chief Brody and a grieving mother, not a shark?