AS FEATURED IN THE AUSTRALIAN | LIFE & TIMES
Ian Shaw reflects on family, legacy and bringing the untold story behind Jaws to the stage in The Shark Is Broken.
Ian Shaw was just four years old when he visited the set of Jaws. More than fifty years later, the son of legendary actor Robert Shaw has transformed the remarkable behind the scenes story of one of cinema’s greatest films into the acclaimed stage play The Shark Is Broken. In a feature interview with The Australian, Shaw reflects on growing up around the film, his father’s legacy, and the extraordinary journey that led to writing the play.
Rather than retelling the story of the shark itself, The Shark Is Broken explores the relationships between Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss during the famously troubled production. Delayed by technical failures and stranded for weeks aboard the Orca, the three actors found themselves in conversations that inspired a new perspective on one of Hollywood’s most celebrated productions.
Now arriving in Sydney and Melbourne, The Shark Is Broken has earned international acclaim, including an Olivier Award nomination, giving audiences a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the film that changed cinema forever through the eyes of the man uniquely connected to its story.
I happened to look like my dad. I looked in the mirror and thought, “My God, I look like Quint.”
I love the film and would daydream about those three men in the cabin of the Orca because I loved the drama.
In the dressing room before I went on, I would look in the mirror and feel his presence.
Read the full interview
Read Troy Bramston’s feature with Ian Shaw in The Australian for the full story behind The Shark Is Broken and the remarkable legacy of Jaws.