Dream 1975 Cast for Jaws: Newman, Redford, McQueen (?)

Peter Benchley , author of the novel "Jaws," joked that the three leads in the movie should be: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Steve McQueen.

You can actually SEE that, if you look hard enough. Newman as Chief Brody, Redford(with glasses) as Hooper; McQueen as Quint.

But that would have cost way too much and those three wouldn't sign up together(in pairs, yes, together -- no.)

Given the three evenly matched roles, and budget concerns, I think Spielberg felt compelled to cast character actors.

Roy Scheider had been the SUPPORT in The French Connection. Richard Dreyfuss had been part of an ENSEMBLE in American Graffii.

Spielberg actually did try for a big star for the Quint part: Lee Marvin. But Lee turned it down. Next up: Sterling Hayden(the crooked cop McClusky in The Godfather; General Jack Ripper in Strangelove.) But he had tax problems that kept him abroad.

Shaw got the part of recommendation of producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck, who had used Shaw as the villain in The Sting after Richard Boone(a good possible Quint) turned THAT part(Doyle Lonnigan) down.

And so, a perfect seventies cast without a big star: Scheider and Shaw and Dreyfuss. Not a pretty puss in the bunch...but REAL

And yet..what a dream to dream: Newman, Redford and McQueen as Brody, Hooper, and Quint.