‘Jaws’ director reveals emotional toll of filming iconic movie

Notable filmmaker Steven Spielberg rose to global fame after directing Universal Pictures’ ‘Jaws’ in 1975, his first feature film.

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The director, who was 26 years old at the time, was roped in to direct the film based on the 1974 novel of the same name.

Made with a budget of $9 million, ‘Jaws’ became a smash hit and generated a whopping $470 million at the worldwide box office.

The film scored victories in three categories at the Oscars, including Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Sound.

However, Steven Spielberg was left mentally exhausted while filming the iconic movie and later suffered from PTSD.

During a recent interview with a US media outlet, the notable filmmaker reflected on his time directing the film.

Read more: What is the best American film according to Steven Spielberg?

According to Spielberg, he was left anxious when the shooting was extended for 100 days more than the original schedule.

“When the film wrapped Martha’s Vineyard, I had a full-blown panic attack. I couldn’t breathe, I thought I was having a heart attack. I couldn’t get a full breath of air. I kept going to the bathroom and splashing water on my face. I was shaking,” Steven Spielberg recalled.

He stated, “It was everything that I had experienced on the island, trying to hold myself together, but hold the crew together. I felt really responsible for keeping them there for as long as we had to stay.”

After ‘Jaws’ became a smash hit, the studio sought the filmmaker to direct the second part, only for him to reject the offer.

“[I didn’t come back for the Jaws sequels] because making the first movie was a nightmare. There were endless problems with the shark and it was an impossible shoot. I thought my career was over because no one had ever taken a movie 100 days over schedule,” he said.