Steven Spielberg Recalls 'Full-Blown Attack' While Making Jaws 50 Years Ago

Published: June 20, 2025

Renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg has opened up about the toll making Jaws took on his mental health in the upcoming NatGeo documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story.

Spielberg, now 78, recalls having a "full-blown panic attack" when the film wrapped in 1975. "I couldn't breathe; I thought I was having a heart attack. I kept going to the bathroom and splashing water on my face. I was shaking. And I was out of it — I was completely out of it."

Steven Spielberg on the set of Jaws in 1974; movie poster for Jaws (1975)

The director adds, "I had a great crew, and yet I felt responsible for everybody there. And I felt really responsible for keeping them there for as long as had to stay. And I think I just lost it."

Despite the logistical difficulties, including the functionality of the shark, and the long shooting schedule, Spielberg vowed not to throw in the beach towel. "Even though we wrapped in Martha's Vineyard, the film kept shooting for another two months," he recalls, of working on more scenes at the MGM Studios water tank.

Looking back five decades on, Spielberg can see the bigger picture, and feel the pride. As he explains in Jaws @ 50, "To me, Jaws was a life-altering experience."

"On the one hand, it was a traumatizing experience for me that was mostly about survival. And I think all of us feel we survived something," he continues. "And I just hope that all the people who worked on Jaws wore that experience proudly, like a badge of honor."

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres July 10 on National Geographic, and is streaming the following day on Disney+ and Hulu.

For more on the 50th anniversary of Jaws, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

Related Stories:

More Entertainment News: