Interview: "Jaws @ 50" Producer and Marine Conservationist Wendy Benchley Discusses the Importance of Sharks

With National Geographic’s new documentary Jaws @ 50 coming very soon to Nat Geo, Disney+, and Hulu, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Wendy Benchley, who serves as a marine and environmental conservationist and is also credited as a producer on the film.

Mike Celestino, Laughing Place: What was it like collaborating with Laurent Bouzereau and National Geographic on this film?

Wendy Benchley: I'm so thrilled that it was Laurent who came to me a year and a half ago and said, ‘Wendy, I've been following you and Peter, and I want to do a a completely different documentary about Jaws– not only do the magic of the film and its place in the pantheon of great film, but do yours and Peter's conservation work and the positive effect of Jaws.’ So I'm thrilled that he was able to do it, and that National Geographic is producing it, and it's going to be on the Nat Geo channel.

Watch "Jaws @ 50" Producer and Conservationist Wendy Benchley - Interview:

LP: Since your specialty is marine and environmental conservation, what do you hope viewers take away from this documentary when it comes to those areas of discussion?

Benchley: I hope that they will take away, which I believe hundreds and thousands of viewers have already taken away, [the fact that] sharks are fascinating and they are absolutely essential for the health of the ocean. That, I think, is the power of the film, and that happened early on– it didn't take 50 years for it to happen. It happened right after Jaws, and I always bring up the statistic that at the Rosenstiel School of Marine Science, there was a 30% increase in applications for Marine Science right after Jaws. So yes there was fear, and yes there was a bit of an uptick in shark tournaments, but that died down and really the uptake in science has been very beneficial for the ocean. I mean, all of this research has shown us how important sharks are for a healthy ocean, and I hope we keep going in that same vein.

LP: Your husband Peter Benchley wrote the original novel and then has a role in the film as a news reporter. Are there any tidbits or memories you can share from that time?

Benchley: We did have adventures on the ocean with sharks, and one that really thrilled me was before the movie even came out– we went to Australia to Dangerous Reef and Peter was in the cage. The great white came up to take a bite of the horse that was the bait, and the line got caught between the shark's teeth. So that shark was angry, and it flipped around and pulled the cage under the boat and back up again. I saw this happening and said, ‘Get the rope out of the shark's mouth.’ But of course the cameramen were watching the action and they didn't know. I mean, this was all new [at the time]-- this was ‘74. So I came down from the upper deck, went through the cameramen, [and] when the shark came up again I grabbed the line, yanked it out of his mouth, and all was peaceful and calm; Peter stayed down [in the water]. So we had some adventures like that, and I liked being the hero of the day saving him. Yeah, that was fun.

LP: At Universal Studios Hollywood this summer for the 50th anniversary of Jaws, they have performers playing the characters of Quint and Chief Brody that guests can meet. I wonder if you knew about that and if not, what you think about that taking place?

Benchley: Oh, I didn't know. I think it all sounds wonderful. Why not? I mean, if ever there were characters that people enjoy and have fun with… the three men were certainly a fascinating group, and each character so distinct. So the more they play [with the movie], the more fun it is for everybody.

LP: How often do you find yourself revisiting this story– how often do you reread the novel, how often do you watch the film, and what are your thoughts when you do revisit it?

Benchley: Well, this has been a great revisiting [for the] 50th anniversary. But honestly for 30 years what I've been doing is really working hard on conservation work, so Jaws has not been part of my life, except when I give speeches– I always tell a few Jaws stories in order to bring people in and get them interested in hearing more about what's going on with ocean conservation around the world. Because it's so important that we keep our sharks, in order to have a healthy ocean.

Jaws @ 50 will air on National Geographic on the evening of Thursday, July 10th. It will then stream on Disney+ and Hulu beginning the following day, Friday, July 11th.