Movies
Steven Spielberg: 'Jaws was my turning point'
Published Monday, Jan 9 2012, 15:59 GMT | By Simon Reynolds and Chris Allen | Add comment
Steven Spielberg has credited his 1975 blockbuster Jaws with turning his career around.
Speaking at the UK press conference for his latest film War Horse, the Oscar-winning director said that Jaws's success gave him the freedom to make any film he wanted.
"The turning point in my career was Jaws," he explained. "It was a turning point because I was a director-for-hire before Jaws and because it was such a big hit I could do any movie I wanted. Hollywood just wrote me a cheque!"
Spielberg added that he used his new-found box office clout to get his science fiction drama Close Encounters of the Third Kind made in the late '70s.
"I wanted to make this movie about flying saucers, nobody wanted to make it before Jaws and I tried to get people to make this crazy movie," he said. "I kept saying, 'Oh, this mothership comes down at the end, you're going to love it!' People thought I was crazy and they wouldn't give me the time of day."
War Horse opens in UK cinemas on January 13.
> War Horse premiere: Steven Spielberg, Benedict Cumberbatch interviews
> Steven Spielberg: War Horse director's career in pictures
Speaking at the UK press conference for his latest film War Horse, the Oscar-winning director said that Jaws's success gave him the freedom to make any film he wanted.
"The turning point in my career was Jaws," he explained. "It was a turning point because I was a director-for-hire before Jaws and because it was such a big hit I could do any movie I wanted. Hollywood just wrote me a cheque!"
"I wanted to make this movie about flying saucers, nobody wanted to make it before Jaws and I tried to get people to make this crazy movie," he said. "I kept saying, 'Oh, this mothership comes down at the end, you're going to love it!' People thought I was crazy and they wouldn't give me the time of day."
War Horse opens in UK cinemas on January 13.
> War Horse premiere: Steven Spielberg, Benedict Cumberbatch interviews
> Steven Spielberg: War Horse director's career in pictures
0 comments
Loading...
Related Stories
Movie Reviews
'Prometheus' review: Does it live up to the hype?Digital Spy gives its verdict on Ridley Scott's much-anticipated sci-fi.
Movies Interviews
'Prometheus': Fassbender video interviewMichael Fassbender tells Digital Spy about his android role in Ridley Scott's Prometheus.
At the Movies
How many Snow White dwarves can you name?Nick Frost, Ray Winstone and more try to guess Snow White's classic dwarves.
Movies Galleries
'Prometheus' review: Does it live up to the hype?Digital Spy gives its verdict on Ridley Scott's much-anticipated sci-fi.
