- Director Steven Spielberg said he didn't expect "Jaws" to be a huge success.
- He originally thought the shark "looked dumb."
Steven Spielberg is arguably one of the most famous directors of all time thanks to a number of hugely successful movies like "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Schindler's List," and "Saving Private Ryan."
Spielberg's most recent movie, "The Fabelmans," was a particularly emotional project for the director as it's loosely based on his own life.
During an interview with W magazine, the Academy Award-winning director recalled what it was like seeing "Jaws" become a huge success back in 1975. Spielberg was just 26 when he directed the movie.
Spielberg said: "I never would have guessed that so many people would have gone to see Jaws. In my mind, the shark looked dumb."
The director went on to say that the first preview screening of "Jaws" shocked him because the audience was "screaming" at the chaos that unfolded onscreen.
He said: "When I went to the first preview, in Dallas, and people were screaming and popcorn was flying at the screen, my first feeling was, 'Oh my god! I didn't think any of this was going to work.'"
"Jaws" was an incredible success that propelled Spielberg's career, as it raked in $476.5 million worldwide after three re-releases, as well as winning best film editing, best sound, and best original dramatic score at the 1976 Oscars. It has even been preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry because of its success and importance to the film industry.
Spielberg also told W magazine that it wasn't something he could've predicted, saying: "The truth is, you never ever know."
When asked about his first directing job on the anthology series, "Night Gallery," Spielberg recalled that he originally didn't get any work for "a year" because he tried a variety of ambitious camera shots for the episode which seemingly didn't fit the network's expectations.
He said: "I didn't care about getting another job. I knew I would eventually work again, but I didn't work for a year because of my clever camerawork on that show. I did jump cuts, shots through the chandelier, all kinds of great shots. I didn't care if it cost me work; I just wanted to do what I thought was right for that show."