Robert Shaw died way too early in his career, given his inherent talents and screen natural presence. He was a monumental figure, of course, full of life and passion and, uh, alcohol, but he was also a notoriously difficult man - both in his personal life and in his film career. His best known role was that of grizzled shark hunter, Quint, in Steven Spielberg's classic blockbuster, Jaws - a part that Shaw himself helped to carve and write. Tension was everywhere on the set of Spielberg's movie, of course, particularly notable in the relationship between Shaw and his co-star, Richard Dreyfuss, who played Matt Hooper. Shaw took an imminent dislike to Dreyfuss during the shooting of Jaws, and reportedly berated the actor across the length of production - especially when he was drunk. According to co-star Roy Scheider, who played police chief Matin Brody, Shaw would routinely tease Dreyfuss with comments about his weight, saying things like:
"Look at you, Dreyfuss. You eat and drink and you're fat and you're sloppy. At your age, it's criminal."
Still, it's all there up on the screen for everyone to see; you can see the strain and unease between the two in every scene, and it adds a real element of drama to the picture.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
