Jonathan, 60, and his brother Steven Searle opened up to Remind Magazine<\/a> about making the movie in an interview published July 6.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great summer where we went to the beach. They paid us, they fed us, they watched us,\u201d Jonathan remembered of the Steven Spielberg-directed film<\/a>, about a killer shark that wreaks havoc on a beach town. \u201cI think it was a dream for a parent.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonathan and Steven, 64, were both locals to Martha\u2019s Vineyard, Mass., as were many of the other extras. The pair ultimately got to appear on camera in a major way when, midway through the movie, they played a prank with a fake shark fin. In the movie, Jonathan blamed Steven for making him do it. The pair was ultimately removed from the water.<\/p>\n Roy Scheider in \u2018Jaws\u2019 Now, Jonathan serves as chief of police in Oak Bluffs, one of the towns in Martha\u2019s Vineyard. Asked how he ended up with that job, he said he had \u201ca strong law enforcement career\u201d before becoming chief of police in 2022.<\/p>\n Remind asked him about how many shark attacks<\/a> they\u2019ve actually had during his tenure. \u201cZero. Never,\u201d Jonathan said.<\/p>\n However, there was one shark-related incident.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only shark bite that we had was someone fishing for sharks and caught one. It was hooked, and they were dragging him into the surf. The shark slid into him riding a wave and accidentally bit him in the leg,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Jonathan added that while Martha\u2019s Vineyard has been relatively shark-free, Cape Cod, across the bay, has had \u201ca couple of incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonathan also reflected on how Jaws helped put Martha\u2019s Vineyard on the map.<\/p>\n \u201cOur population now is, I\u2019m guessing, two and a half times what it was back in the seventies, and a lot of year-round population,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n For the 50th anniversary of Jaws last year, he said there was a \u201chuge influx\u201d of tourists who came to celebrate the movie.<\/p>\n Richard Dreyfuss in \u2018Jaws\u2019 Jaws starred Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss<\/a> as marine biologist Matt Hooper and Robert Shaw<\/a> as Quint, a professional shark hunter.<\/p>\n Murray Hamilton played the town\u2019s mayor, Larry Vaughn, who is more worried about the town\u2019s economy than he is the threat from the sharks.<\/p>\n Lorraine Gary<\/a> played Ellen Brody, Martin\u2019s wife, and Jay Mello played Sean Brody<\/a>, the couple\u2019s youngest son. The movie was based on the novel of the same name<\/a> by Peter Benchley.<\/p>\n Jaws became the very first summer blockbuster<\/a> and was the highest-grossing movie of all time (until Star Wars<\/a> dethroned it two years later). The movie was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture, and won three: for Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score (for John Williams<\/a>\u2019 iconic theme) and Best Sound. Jaws also spawned three sequels, though none were critically or commercially successful.<\/p>\n Reflecting on the movie\u2019s legacy, Steven told Remind, \u201cWho\u2019d have thought, 50 years later, it\u2019s still relevant. Looking at the people here and everybody that\u2019s coming by, just the following. It\u2019s quite flattering, actually. It was a good experience, and we were lucky to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Roy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8d28111419527c30c59c26f46e1c6ca2.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Credit: THA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n![\"Richard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/379264f0a4329136f1267bc13b89fc3d.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Credit: Universal\/Kobal\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n