Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film Jaws tells a story about a shark that is out for vengeance. It hunts down and kills people. This doesn’t happen in real life, but the film’s negative depiction of sharks seemingly played a role in the rush in sportfishing for the mighty creatures, and it’s something that Spielberg regrets.
Speaking to the BBC, Spielberg said he is sorry for playing a role in the “decimation” of shark populations due to the film, and the book it was based on.
“That’s one of the things I still fear–not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sport fisherman that happened after 1975, which I truly, and to this day, regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I really, truly regret that.”