Take a Bite Out Of This: Behind the Scenes Facts About Jaws

Gregory Peck Cut Out A Whole Scene

Photo Credit: Universal Studios

In the original drafts of the screenplay, Robert Shaw’s character Quint was supposed to be introduced while disrupting the screening of the 1958 adaptation of Moby Dick. It would have let the audience know his true attitude as well as make it clear that he’s a sailor himself. It would also have been a foreshadowing of what was to come in the rest of the film.

The scene was shot and ready to be added to the film when Gregory Peck, who played Captain Ahab in Moby Dick said no. He owned the rights to the film version of Moby Dick and wouldn’t let Spielberg use the footage of the movie in Jaws.