50 YEARS OF JAWS
THE HERO
SIMON PEGG SALUTES ROY SCHEIDER’S MARTIN BRODY, THE THINKING MAN’S EVERYMAN
WORDS CHRIS HEWITT
Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) is on the lookout as the Orca sinks.
ROBERT SHAW’S AGENT might have begged to differ, negotiating so Shaw’s name came slightly higher in the opening credits, but there’s never been any doubt about the true hero of Jaws. Roy Scheider’s Martin Brody not only has more screen time than Shaw’s Quint and Richard Dreyfuss’ Hooper, he is the heart of Jaws. The soul of Jaws. Don’t take our word for it. Ask Simon Pegg, a man who knows a thing or two about creating enduring screen heroes. “When you’re a kid, Hooper is your favourite,” he says. “But when you become a parent, you start to drift towards Brody. You start to understand what’s at stake.” Here, Pegg talks us through key Brody moments.