JAWS at 50 - feat. Wendy Benchley

Summary

Summary of "JAWS at 50 - feat. Wendy Benchley"

Podcast Title: The Interview with Leslie Heaney
Host: Leslie Heaney
Episode: JAWS at 50 - feat. Wendy Benchley
Release Date: August 6, 2025

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Introduction

In the landmark 50th-anniversary episode of "Jaws," host Leslie Heaney engages in a heartfelt conversation with Wendy Benchley, the widow of Peter Benchley, the author of the original "Jaws" novel. Wendy has been a pivotal figure in both the literary and conservation worlds, leveraging her platform to advocate for shark protection and ocean conservation. This episode delves into the origins of "Jaws," its profound impact on public perception of sharks, and Wendy's ongoing efforts to safeguard marine life.

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Meeting Peter Benchley and Early Inspirations

Chance Encounter and Marriage

Wendy recounts the serendipitous meeting with Peter Benchley in Nantucket, where she was working as a hostess at the Jared Coffin House. Their encounter was marked by a shared moment at the bar, leading to a date that culminated in marriage a year later.

[07:19] Wendy Benchley: "He gave me a drag of his cigarette... he came and asked me for a date and we were married a year later."

Peter’s Literary Roots and Early Writing

Peter Benchley's passion for writing was evident from a young age, influenced by his literary family heritage, including his grandfather Robert Benchley of the Algonquin Roundtable fame.

[04:25] Wendy Benchley: "Peter always wanted to be a writer... his father encouraged him to write every morning for four hours."

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Creation of "Jaws"

Inspiration Behind the Novel

Peter's fascination with sharks was deeply rooted in his experiences growing up in Nantucket, where shark fishing was common. These encounters fueled the creation of his first novel, "Jaws," which blended his love for the ocean with a compelling narrative about a great white shark terrorizing a community.

[10:12] Wendy Benchley: "Quint is a compilation of Peter's imagination... he had that very gruff Quint personality."

Publishing and Title Selection

The process of finalizing the novel's title was both chaotic and collaborative, ultimately settling on the succinct and memorable "Jaws."

[20:52] Wendy Benchley: "We had titles like Leviathan Rising and Terror of the Deep... finally stuck with Jaws."

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Transition from Book to Blockbuster

Rapid Film Adaptation

Helen Gurley Brown, editor of Cosmopolitan, played a crucial role in bringing "Jaws" to the big screen by introducing the manuscript to producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck. This swift transition from book to film resulted in "Jaws" becoming the first true summer blockbuster.

[22:18] Wendy Benchley: "David Brown and Richard Zanuck bought the rights early on, leading to the summer blockbuster."

Premiere and Public Reception

The film's debut was a monumental success, with audiences reacting enthusiastically, affirming its status as a cultural phenomenon.

[22:56] Wendy Benchley: "We went to see the movie... everybody in the end was rose to their feet and clapped and screamed."

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Behind the Scenes of "Jaws"

Real-Life Shark Encounters

Wendy shares gripping anecdotes from the set, highlighting the dangers faced by the crew and the unpredictability of working with real sharks.

[13:35] Wendy Benchley: "I grabbed the line, yanked it out of her mouth. All was fine."

Challenges in Filming

The production faced significant challenges, including handling real great whites and ensuring the authenticity of shark behavior, which sometimes mirrored Peter's personal encounters.

[16:03] Wendy Benchley: "The great white thrashing around and the real footage you see in Jaws..."

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Impact of "Jaws" on Shark Conservation

Negative Consequences

The success of "Jaws" inadvertently led to increased shark hunting and overfishing, as the public's fear translated into harmful actions against these marine creatures.

[25:00] Wendy Benchley: "People took it as license to go out and kill sharks... senseless slaughter of these important marine animals."

Catalyst for Conservation Efforts

In response, Wendy and Peter became fervent advocates for shark conservation, aiming to educate the public about the essential role sharks play in ocean ecosystems.

[26:36] Wendy Benchley: "We started learning more ourselves about sharks and educating people about their importance."

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Conservation Initiatives and Achievements

Founding the Peter Benchley Awards

To honor individuals dedicated to ocean conservation, Wendy co-founded the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, recognizing diverse contributions to marine protection.

[41:30] Wendy Benchley: "The Benchley Awards were based on... joining whatever environmental group is in your town."

Collaboration with WildAid

Wendy played a crucial role in merging Shark Savers with WildAid, expanding the reach and effectiveness of their conservation campaigns, particularly against shark fin soup.

[38:16] Wendy Benchley: "We decided to merge with WildAid... working in China and other countries on these issues."

Marine Protected Areas and Policy Advocacy

Advocating for the creation of marine protected areas and supporting the UN's High Seas Treaty, Wendy emphasizes the necessity of safeguarding vast ocean regions from industrial fishing to allow ecosystems to regenerate.

[36:09] Wendy Benchley: "Thousands of hectares of marine protected areas... the ocean does regenerate if you give it a little rest."

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Legacy and Ongoing Impact

"Jaws at Fe: The Definitive Inside Story" Documentary

As co-executive producer, Wendy highlights the documentary's role in commemorating "Jaws" and its enduring influence on both filmmaking and conservation efforts.

[31:10] Wendy Benchley: "It's a celebration... three generations of people feel connected to Jaws."

Continued Advocacy and Future Goals

Wendy remains committed to ocean conservation, working alongside global organizations to combat overfishing, promote sustainable practices, and protect vulnerable marine ecosystems.

[45:48] Wendy Benchley: "We have to be mindful about our oceans... continue to do to save our sharks and our oceans."

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Conclusion

The episode encapsulates the intertwining narratives of "Jaws" as both a cultural milestone and a catalyst for environmental advocacy. Wendy Benchley's enduring dedication, alongside Peter Benchley's legacy, underscores the profound impact literature and film can have on real-world conservation efforts. Listeners are left inspired by Wendy's relentless pursuit to protect marine life and her belief in collective action to ensure the health of our oceans for future generations.

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Notable Quotes:

• Wendy Benchley [04:25]: "Peter always wanted to be a writer... his father encouraged him to write every morning for four hours."
• Wendy Benchley [10:12]: "Quint is a compilation of Peter's imagination... he had that very gruff Quint personality."
• Wendy Benchley [20:52]: "We had titles like Leviathan Rising and Terror of the Deep... finally stuck with Jaws."
• Wendy Benchley [26:36]: "We started learning more ourselves about sharks and educating people about their importance."
• Wendy Benchley [36:09]: "Thousands of hectares of marine protected areas... the ocean does regenerate if you give it a little rest."

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Conclusion

This comprehensive discussion between Leslie Heaney and Wendy Benchley offers an intimate look into the genesis of "Jaws," its unintended consequences, and the subsequent rise of a passionate conservation movement. Wendy's insights not only celebrate the enduring legacy of "Jaws" but also highlight the ongoing battle to protect our oceans, making this episode a must-listen for enthusiasts of film, literature, and environmental advocacy alike.

Transcript

[Leslie Heaney]

Hey everybody, it's Leslie. And you're listening to interview with Leslie Heaney. This summer marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest movies ever made, Jaws, which not only made me afraid to go on the ocean, but also every swimming pool in my neighborhood. Today I'm so excited to welcome someone who's been there since the beginning, and that's Wendy Denchley, the widow of Jaws author Peter Benchley. From the writing of the book to the movie's smashing box office success, Wendy had a front row seat. And following the movie's release, there was a huge uptick in shark tournaments and shark overfishing. And in response to that, Wendy and her husband Peter dove right in. No pun intended. Wendy is today a renowned global voice for protecting sharks and our oceans. She is the co founder of the Peter Benchley Awards, she's a board member of WildAid, and she's a co executive producer of Jaws at Fe the Definitive Inside Story, which is a brand new documentary that just came out this summer on Hulu, which dives into, again, no pun intended, the film's legacy. In this episode, Wendy and I talk about how she met Peter in a chance encounter in Nantucket bar. We talk about the inspiration behind the novel, how the film's explosive success shaped public perception of sharks, and then all about her incredible conservation work and all she's done for the past five decades to protect sharks and our oceans. So Wendy is brilliant, super passionate, so delightful to talk to and a real force for change. So whether you're a Jaws fan or you simply care about the future of our oceans and sharks, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. I'm so excited about this week's sponsor, the 10 Mile Distillery. 10 Mile is an American single malt distillery based in the Hudson Valley about 90 miles north of New York. And it is the maker of the award winning Little Rest Whiskey made through a slow distillation process with all New York State grains by master distiller Shane Fraser from Scotland. And when I say award winning, I mean it's earned a 95 out at the whiskey competition in San Francisco and in 96 at the New York International Spirits Competition with this is delicious. If you do not believe me about how delicious this is, the good news for you is that if you're in the New York area, you can go visit this incredible and beautiful distillery yourself. It's set among the most beautiful apple orchard with beautiful views of the mountains behind. Stop by for a leisurely tour or tasting or even enjoy an expertly crafted cocktail. They also have gin and vodka available. They also have this incredibly delicious Thai restaurant that is in residence there from Thursday through Sunday. To learn more about the distillery, you can visit them@tenmile distillery.com theinterview. All orders will receive 10% off if you put a promo code the interview at checkout. So go to www.tenmiledistillery.com theinterview to get that discount, that 10% off. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. So thank you again to 10 mile. And with that, here's Wendy Benchley. Wendy, it is so nice to see you. Thank you so much for being on the podcast. I'm so excited to talk with you and to learn more about Peter and Jaws and all the conservation work that you have done since then.

[Wendy Benchley]

Oh, Leslie, thank you for asking me to come on.

[Leslie Heaney]

So let's take it back. I want to, you know, I loved learning about Peter in, you know, in anticipation of this conversation, tell us a little bit about him. He was a New York City native. Right. But he spent his summers in Nantucket.

[Wendy Benchley]

He did. He did. The Benchleys went to Nantucket. And so he was very much a young teenager there in the ocean, surfing, swimming with his dad, fishing with his dad. And in those days, they often just fished for sharks because there were so many sharks in the water. And if they did catch a striper or a blue, the sharks were right there to grab it sometimes before they could get it on the boat.

[Leslie Heaney]

So is that where his sort of fascination with sharks started? Kind of was developed.

[Wendy Benchley]

And yes, yes, I would say that, you know, he always wanted to be a writer. He came from a literary family. His grandfather was Robert Benchley, a great wit and writer. Algonquin Roundtable, New York City. Yeah. And his father was also an excellent novelist and wrote, it was a movie made into a movie. The Russians are Coming. The Russians are Coming.

[Leslie Heaney]

Oh, yes.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah. He wrote all through junior high. And then when he was about 15, he came to his dad summertime and said, I really want to be a novelist. And he, his dad said, you just don't want to have writer's block if you're going to do that. And I'll tell you what, I'll pay you what you would make mowing lawns this summer. If you get up every morning at 7 o', clock, go out to the workroom, they had a little shack behind their house and start hammering out a story or words, a short story, anything you want for four hours and then hand it in to me, I'm not going to read it, but I just, you know, you need to train your brain to be able to get what's in your brain down on the paper. Peter loved it. He thrived here. He was an athletic, very attractive 15 year old, but he was completely happy writing every morning for four hours. So that set his mental acuity, I think, for writing.

[Leslie Heaney]

That is so fascinating. And what a great idea and example for his father, for any parent, for their child to say, you're interested in this. Let's actually see what it might look like, what your life might look like if you actually decide to pursue that. I mean, that, you know, exposing him to what that experience would be like as opposed to sort of the idea of it actually having him sort of really lean into it at that age.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yes.

[Leslie Heaney]

Terrific.

[Wendy Benchley]

And then he. But then at Harvard, he wrote many, many stories and I know he wrote some stories for the New Yorker. Most of them were rejected, but I think there was one that got in. And then, and then he went into writing for Newsweek.

[Leslie Heaney]

Now, where did you, when you met him? He was. He was writing and you met him?

[Wendy Benchley]

Well, yeah, we met, we met in Nantucket. I was a hostess at the Jared Coffin House and I was a pack a day smoker in those days. Many of us, I mean, who was not Wendy. Yeah, I know. So I was helping a waitress get some drinks and I was at the bar and there was Peter sitting with Foley Vaughn, another friend. And I really needed a drag of a cigarette. So I just turned to him and he was smoking Lucky Strikes at first. Very cool.

[Leslie Heaney]

And you could smoke inside then just to point out for our younger listeners. Right. You can smoke right there. Yeah.

[Wendy Benchley]

Oh, right there inside. Yeah, yeah. And he had the Lucky Strike pack rolled up in his shirt. Right. That's what we did in those days. So he gave me a drag of his cigarette. I gave it back to him. I went back up with the drinks and then he came and asked me for a date and we were married a year later.

[Leslie Heaney]

Oh, I love that. And then he's writing and when did he start? So take me back. I know we just talked about, right. Him having like this exposure to sharks through fishing and growing up in the summer in Nantucket. I would read something about him kind of having this concept for this book. Right. And pitching it to a publisher before he started.

[Wendy Benchley]

Oh, yes. He was writing speeches for lbj and we were living in Washington. LBJ decided not to run for office. Very dramatic move.

[Leslie Heaney]

So was out of the way of 1969. Wendy, what year is this?

[Wendy Benchley]

68.

[Leslie Heaney]

Okay.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah. So Peter thought, okay, this is my chance to freelance and not go back to Newsweek. I'm going to give freelance life a try. We were living in Pennington, New Jersey. He was doing a great job as a freelancer, but not quite making enough money. We had two children by then, so he had always had in his back pocket an idea for a novel about modern day pirates or a great white shark that just hangs around a community and causes a little chaos. So, Tom Cognant at Doubleday, I liked the fish book, as he said it, as he liked to call it. And I remember when Peter mentioned these two ideas to me and he said, I'm going to go pedal these ideas. I said, oh, Peter, honey, I just don't think either of those ideas are going to work. And so, thank heavens, Tom Congdon. Yeah, didn't listen to me. Listen, Peter. And he wrote. And one interesting thing is that Peter's first draft of the book was not a comedy, but had a lot of humor in it. And Tom Congdon and he both decided that this kind of book, you know, you didn't need the humor. But he did put humor into his characters. So I think there was some humor in the book. And Peter had a very quick wit and, you know, a wonderful sense of the absurd in life. So.

[Leslie Heaney]

But wasn't. Remind me too, at that time there was a. I don't know what this. You have to clarify what the sequence was of this for me. But I always thought when, I guess when I saw Jaws that, you know, there was this story. And I know you lived in Pennington, New Jersey, and I grew up in New Jersey about. In 1916, there was this rogue shark. Yes. That had, you know, killed all these, you know, four people died in the course of two weeks.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah.

[Leslie Heaney]

And so I thought that that was what Jaws was based off of. But that's not right. No. But there was a fisherman, right. That he. There was a fisherman in Long Island. Right. That caught a big shark and I think was loosely based on Quint or he did have some. Right. Some kind of inspiration was percolating from.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yes, I would say that there were many inspirations for Jaws. Certainly his experience with sharks. He was fascinated with them. He saw blue water, white death. Peter Gimble. That, I think is what really sparked the idea. Sure. There was the bull shark that was in the river in New Jersey and killed some people. And also there was a man named Mundus who caught a huge great white shark off of Long Island. But the Character Quint, I would say, is fashioned more on Teddy Tucker, who was a Bermudian friend, an absolutely brilliant man who excavated wrecks in Bermuda, ancient ships under the ocean. And Teddy was. Oh, gosh, he was just a fabulous, fascinating guy who knew the ocean, who knew sharks, and who had that. That very gruff Quint personality. Yeah. So I. You know, somehow people are always saying it's Mundus. And. And yes, Mundus was part of. Yes, he had caught a great, big, great white shark. But I would say the character Quint is a compilation of Peter's imagination. Teddy Tucker, I mean, if you're a novelist, of course, you take from all the people you know and you use your own creativity to put together an original character. So I would say Quint is an original, too.

[Leslie Heaney]

Yeah, exactly. But did he ever have sort of a close encounter, like, with a shark, you know, Peter himself? Did he have Peter? Yeah.

[Wendy Benchley]

Oh, gosh, yes. Yeah. Oh, Peter had so many close encounters. Actually, the first one was when he was getting ready to go to South Australia. This was before the movie came out. And ABC Sportsman called and asked and said, actually to Peter, okay, big fella, you. You've written this book about a shark, and how would you like to go cage dive with the real thing? And so we couldn't refuse an offer like that. So we took.

[Leslie Heaney]

So you. But you went with him, too, then?

[Wendy Benchley]

I did. I went to Australia with him. But his first encounter with the great white. And this is just coming back to me now, he first went to the Bahamas with Stan Waterman, where great white sharks were not supposed to be, and they saw a great white right there in the Bahamas. So that was a major event for Peter. Then we did go to dangerous reef off of South Australia, and that's where I had my shining moment of my life in saving Peter.

[Leslie Heaney]

Tell us about that. So I read about. He's in a shark cage, right. And something happened with the great.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yes, yes. So it was Australia in the 70s, and women were not welcome in bars, and we were also not welcome on boats. So when we got on this boat, I was banished to the upper deck. Peter got into the shark cage. It was attached by a line to the stern of the boat. There was a big hunk of horse meat hanging off the side as bait for the shark. And the great white came up and she took a bite of the horse meat, and in taking a bite, got the line stuck between her teeth. Okay. She didn't sever the line. It was stuck between the teeth. So she basically was Trapped by this line and the cage. And she flailed around, dragged the cage under the boat and. And then, oh my gosh. I was on the upper deck watching this screaming at the guys, the cameraman saying, get the rope out of the shark's mouth, for God's sake, do something. And I don't blame them because they had never done this before and for all they knew this was supposed to happen.

[Leslie Heaney]

Right, exactly. By the way, it's like great footage, great shark footage.

[Wendy Benchley]

So I came down from the upper deck, elbowed my way through the guys. The next time the great white came up to take a bite of the horse with the line in her mouth, I grabbed the line, yanked it out of her mouth. All was fine, Everything calmed down. Peter stayed for another half an hour and when he came up, the guys had to say that I had been proactive, let's say, about getting the line.

[Leslie Heaney]

Responsible for his survival. I mean, what did he tell you? I mean, obviously he did. What was he thinking when he was, you know, he.

[Wendy Benchley]

Well, he was terrified. Yeah, yeah, absolutely terrified. He just could not believe. But you know, he was a brave guy. And so he went through the rigmarole of the upside down cage and then when everything calmed down, he stayed in and all was well.

[Leslie Heaney]

You know the scene in the movie Jaws where Hooper has, you know, his cage gets cut off or he gets, the cage gets attacked, was that in the original book or was that added to the screenplay, kind of based on. Or was the production, was the movie already in production when this happened? Because I think it was.

[Wendy Benchley]

The movie started production in 74.

[Leslie Heaney]

Okay.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah. So actually there's a similar story with the movie if you want me to tell you about it. This happened probably before or maybe after our experience. But. Okay. So Spielberg wisely, genius that he is, decided to have a 26 foot shark. 26 foot sharks do not exist. Grip wise. Okay. Peter wrote about a 15 foot, 16 foot shark in the novel. But, but Spielberg understood that you needed to have a bigger shark, a little bit more of a monster shark. But if you're going to do that, how are you going to get real shark footage for the movie? And he wanted to have real shark footage. The way you get, you make a 15 foot shark look like it's 25ft is you hire a very, very small stuntman and have a very small cage. And then when a 15 foot shark swims by, it's going to look huge. But guess what happened? Yep. Ron and Valerie Taylor were hired to do this and Ron is in a cage in the water, Carl Rizzo, the stuntman, brave, wonderful soul, is on the stern of the boat with Valerie Taylor. Carl is about ready to get into the small cage with when the great white shark comes up, gets tangled in the rope just like what happened to Peter. And the shark this time rips the cage off the stern of the boat, takes it down to the bottom and smashes it. And it does pop up to the surface because there are air containers. Yeah. So it does float. Valerie and Carl are watching this and Valerie turns to see what Carl thinks of this disaster. And Carl has disappeared and found him. And they found him 15 minutes later in the fo' c' sle, curled up around an empty bottle of vodka. Right. He knew, I'm not going back in that water with that shark again. No, no, no, no, no.

[Leslie Heaney]

That is hilarious. Now how did he get back? So how did they get the cage up off of the. Was he in the cage?

[Wendy Benchley]

The footage you see, the real footage you see in Jaws.

[Leslie Heaney]

Yeah.

[Wendy Benchley]

If you look closely, you will see the shark thrashing around. And the person you see in the cage is a cameraman, is Ron Taylor. A cameraman.

[Leslie Heaney]

Okay.

[Wendy Benchley]

You just don't even notice that it's a full sized man, you know, because the shark action is so. Yeah.

[Leslie Heaney]

Oh, my gosh. Carl. I mean, the story of Carl. Poor Carl.

[Wendy Benchley]

I know, I know. Oh, dear, oh dear. But, you know, good for him. He went on to do other, other movies and, and he was a great stuntman, so I don't blame him. I wouldn't have gone in the water.

[Leslie Heaney]

So Peter, you know he's writing the book, right? You're in. I think you spent time maybe at your family's home in Stonington, Connecticut. So he's at these seaside towns. Right. Was he also in Nantucket writing to.

[Wendy Benchley]

I mean, so for Jaws, he wrote most of Jaws in Pennington, New Jersey, where we were. And you know, it's really very sweet because he was so used to the clatter of typewriters at Newsweek in those days. They all were in one room hitting away at a manual typewriter. And so when he got the thousand dollars and the okay to start writing this book, he found a tiny little room in the Pennington furnace repair shop where they were clanging on metal and carrying on. And that to him was more conducive to writing than being at home with me and two little toddlers. Right. So that's where he wrote most of the book. And then he did a lot of editing in Stonington, Connecticut, where my Family had a house.

[Leslie Heaney]

So he goes. He's got the. The finished sort of first draft of the manuscript. Right. He goes to his publisher. And he didn't have a title yet. Right. And so you were trying to figure out what the title would be. And I loved. And this was covered a bit in the documentary, but your family, I think it was your brother. Everyone's sort of weighing in on what the title should be. And then how did everybody ultimately fall on God?

[Wendy Benchley]

That was really. That was just so tense and chaotic because we had page after page of titles that Peter and I and his father and his brother were working on. And also Tom Congdon. And we had pretentious ones like Leviathan Rising and then we had scary ones like Terror of the Deep and Terror Tide. And then Peter's father, who was a great wit, said, I know what we should call it. What's that Gnawshin on my leg. So Congdon and Benchley just finally figured, we'll just stick with Jaws. Nobody knows what it means. Nobody reads a first novel anyway. But at least it's short and it's catchy. And as Steven Spielberg said, it could have been a novel about a dentist.

[Leslie Heaney]

Right?

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah.

[Leslie Heaney]

So the book gets published and then tell us about what that was. I mean, how people were responding to it. You had worldwide acclaim and world fans worldwide. One of whom I was shocked to learn about from the documentary, who is Fidel Castro. But tell us about that time period where you just all, as you said, it's a first novel. What was that like having this huge response to it and this huge success?

[Wendy Benchley]

I mean, of course, it was absolutely thrilling and a heady experience, to say the very least. And we were really excited, thrilled that David Brown and Richard Zanuck had bought the book while it was in galley form. So they had bought the rights to the book in galley form. So we knew that there was going to be a movie.

[Leslie Heaney]

Now, tell me about that. Wendy, sorry to interrupt you, but didn't Helen Gurley Brown, who, yes, for listeners, didn't know, was a very well known editor and. Right. That was her sort of.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yes. Helen Gurley was the editor of Cosmopolitan.

[Leslie Heaney]

Yes. And she didn't she bring it to her husband, who was a producer. Right. And said, yeah, she brought it to.

[Wendy Benchley]

David Brown and David was partners with Richard Zanuck. And she said, david, I think you should take a look at this. And so they bought the rights to the book early on, and that's how they were able to get the film going quickly so that the film Came out just a year after the book was published. And that's what they call the summer blockbuster that they really hyped the book and the movie together. And then of course, it hit the movie theaters and was a smash success. I remember going to see Jaws, the movie at a Broadway, a huge Broadway theater with Dreyfus, with Richard Dreyfuss. And, you know, Dreyfuss had been a very reluctant member of the cast. It was a difficult shoot, a really difficult shoot, and nobody knew whether the movie would be successful or not. And when we went and saw that, saw the movie at that huge theater and everybody in the end was rose to their feet and clapped and screamed, Dreyfus. And Peter and I went out on the sidewalk and Dreyfus was jumping up and down saying, we done it, we did it. It's going to be a great hit. So that was exciting. And also we felt more confident about it because David and Richard set up a screening for all of our dive friends, Ron and Valerie Taylor and Stan Waterman and Peter Gimble, in a private room in New York because we were all worried about what the ocean community would say about this film. And, you know, if they laughed at it, we thought, we're going to be in trouble. But they didn't. They thought it was absolutely superbly done. And that leads me to talking about the fact that, yes, it did cause an uptick in shark tournaments, the killing of sharks. And that was just so devastating to Peter and me. I mean, it was a novel and it was just a movie, but people took it as license to go out and kill sharks. So Peter and I were absolutely determined to, to start learning more ourselves about sharks and to educating people about sharks and the fact that they were absolutely essential to the health of the ocean. But, you know, the other aspect of Jaws is that, yes, it scared people, but also it really led to an uptick in interest in sharks and in shark science. And we, Peter got thousands of letters from around the world from people saying, oh, you know, I had no idea sharks were so exciting. The ocean was so exciting. I want to get involved, I want to learn more. And that happened immediately after the film. So that was sort of pressure building immediately on people saying, don't go to these shark tournaments. No, no, no. And I went to a lot of shark tournaments and sort of talked to people and protested and said, this is just senseless slaughter of these, these important marine animals.

[Leslie Heaney]

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[Wendy Benchley]

Yes. So we were only on the set for a few weeks because he had a bit part and Peter co wrote the screenplay. But you know, writing the day to day dialogue for people is A completely different kind of writing and takes a different personality and patience. And so he was delighted when Carl Gottlieb was hired to come in and do the day to day work because Carl was brilliant at it. And he had, you know, Carl was the one, I think, who brought the humor and so many of the human touches to the film. And also, as people have discussed, because the shark was not working, Spielberg did a lot of character development and a lot of vignettes with all the wonderful local people. I think that is the heart of the film, that you really care about the town, the local people. And Peter did that in the book also. I think the book was very much about how people survive. If you're on an island and you've got to make your money during the two or three months of summer, it's very important that the beaches are open. So I think the, the book set that stage of how do people and their various jobs and personalities cope with a menace that they can't control?

[Leslie Heaney]

Yes. No, it was sort of, you know, they mentioned sort of hero versus monster or man versus nature, but there was a lot of conversation about the islander, Right. And you just touched upon that sort of the economic piece of it. And I forget what the word is in Spanish, but I mentioned this a little earlier, but Fidel Castro was a huge fan, read the book, right? And for him, it was about that piece. He was saying how sort of how the mayor, Right. Was prioritizing capitalism. It was sort of, to him, it was an example of, you know, how the. All of the evil surrounding capitalism. And I guess he did. Peter was. I remember there was.

[Wendy Benchley]

That was, that was. Yeah, that was Mankiewicz, Frank Mankiewicz, who was the head of the Peace Corps. And he was interviewing Castro and Castro had Tiburon, which is.

[Leslie Heaney]

Or Tiburon, that's the shark, or Jaws in Spanish, Jaws.

[Wendy Benchley]

And Mankiewicz said, why are you reading this American novel? And Castro said, ah, ah, this is a great American novel because it shows the evils of capitalism. Yeah, yeah. And so, so that was a, that was a wonderful story. And, and I think Peter talks about that in the documentary. What a thrill it was to be part, to be an executive producer of this documentary about the 50th anniversary of JAWS. I just admire Laurent Busereau so much for putting this together in a very original way and giving Stephen absolutely his due. With all of these other directors praising Stephen and his genius for the film, but also going into shark conservation work and the thinning of sharks and Peter's and my work in that field. So it's for me, very moving to have a documentary on the 50th anniversary celebrating the fact that three generations of people feel connected to Jaws in this very communal, celebratory way.

[Leslie Heaney]

Well, just the impact of Peter. Right. And Peter's work and how. Seeing how that continues and that legacy continues today. But you. So you mentioned, you know, the movie comes out, right, it's this big blockbuster, and they start having these shark sort of hunting tournaments. And it was right then that you and Peter started getting involved in that effort. Tell us about sort of how you to that.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah, so we went on expeditions with the National Geographic with their scientists and photographers. And remember, this was the 70s and 80s and the world was learning about the ocean. Okay. In the 60s, 70s, we thought the ocean was so vast that we could never possibly heard it. So we learned along with everybody else that you can't use the ocean as a garbage dump, that you've got to watch out for overfishing. And so that was very important. And I was on the board of Environmental Defense Fund, and Peter was a spokesperson for edf, and we did a lot of speeches together. I was sort of his policy wonk, and he was the talent, you know, doing the speeches. And we went to, Gosh. We worked with a group called WildAid, which has been really brilliantly in Asian countries, educating everybody about shark fin soup. So the main reason sharks are in Trouble is that 100 million of them are caught mainly for shark fin soup. This has nothing to do with Jaws. It is part of the. The Asian culture that shark fin soup was a celebratory dish. And I'm pleased to say that with these campaigns, with public service ads all over China and other countries, with Yao Ming and Jackie Chan and Maggie Q and Branson and many other people, the demand for shark fin soup in China has gone down 85% in the last 15 years. So that's great progress. Yeah. And WildAid is working now in other countries, continuing work in China, but also working in other countries on these issues. So we do face a crisis in the ocean with the fact that 80 to 85% of our big pelagic fish have been fished out of the ocean in the last 40 years. That means we only have 15% left. This is a crisis. And so the other thing that I work on is marine protected areas. WildAid also does an absolutely superb job of helping all of the local communities and countries around the world who have marine protected areas where you're not allowed to come in and fish to Keep them protected so that the fish can grow and propagate and swim out and supply fish in the rest of the ocean. So there's a lot of good progress going on. And there's a. I don't want to get too technical, but I'm a policy person.

[Leslie Heaney]

Well, I want to ask you about the actual policy too, but get technical, Wendy. I want to.

[Wendy Benchley]

Well, what I think is really exciting now is that there are thousands and thousands of hectares of marine protected areas around the world. And the UN is looking at a treaty for the high seas. So the high seas is all of the ocean that is not within the territorial waters, the 200 mile territorial waters of countries. So that's a vast amount of the high seas, which is just the Wild West. You can go out and just.

[Leslie Heaney]

Is that where the commercial fishing takes place?

[Wendy Benchley]

A lot of it, yeah. But it also is within the territorial waters. But many countries are protecting their territorial waters. So right outside of that, there are fish stocks that are just being wiped out by the industrial fishing fleets. So the High Seas Treaty, it's near to being ratified. I think we only need 11 more countries to agree to it. And then we will have a basis for protecting some of the high seas and allowing the seas, the oceans to regenerate. Because the ocean does regenerate if you give it a little rest.

[Leslie Heaney]

I spent some time in Antigua and there's a big effort there for the coral reefs, because coral reefs are being decimated by, you know, by not just, you know, the use of, you know, people standing on them, you know, snorkeling near them, fishing near them, but also the water temperature. And they need time, you know, because you have to keep that, the entire ecosystem in check. You have to have those little fish, right? Being able to eat off the corals that the bigger, you know, the chain goes up. But you were also involved. You were present on the board of Shark Savers, right? What? It was the mission of Shark Savers. And then you were the one who connected shark savers with WildAid, right? To consolidate their resources.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yes. Yeah. Sharksavers. Oh, that was a wonderful small organization. We decided we were basically doing the same thing that WildAid was doing. WildAid was a bigger NGO, so we thought rather than restarting the wheel, we would just merge with them. So Peter and I worked with WildAid. Gosh. In 2000, we went to China and we were supposed to be partnered with Jackie Chan to talk about shark fin soup. And Jackie Chan had a movie. So we were paired with, oh, these wonderful female soap opera Stars. So that was the start of the campaign and it was really exciting to go over there. We went to Taiwan and Hong Kong and, gosh, a couple other cities. So it took WildAid 15, 20 years to get this education campaign going. And we have a special relationship, I would say, with the Chinese government where they are interested, very interested in educating their population about shark fin soup. They canceled shark fin soup for their government functions. The airlines did the restaurants, the hotels, the. And they also are working with Wild Aid on marine protected areas. And we're also working with the Chinese government on sustainability issues. So there's a lot of progress that can be made in Asian countries with these really essential climate issues. They're all climate issues. When you were talking about acidification, I mean, that is. And the warming of the ocean is what is just brutal to the coral reefs. So we just have to pray that some of the corals that can survive in warm water can be propagated and expanded and that we can keep enough of the coral reefs to keep our nurseries going.

[Leslie Heaney]

There was a. I think it was two summers ago that the temperature and the water in Antigua was so warm that they lost 80% of the, of the reefs. 80% died. But what they've done is through this. There's a conservancy there that's focused just on this and, and restoring and, and regrowing the reefs. Is that the reefs that survived, they are creating those, plant those sort of reef nurseries and then replanting them. It's been. There was a very successful campaign, I guess, in Florida, so they're replicating that. But it really does take people's attention and focus. It's, it's people understanding, as you said, that we can't really use the ocean as our garbage can or we just can't think that it's just something that will just, you know, take care of itself without us helping to steward it in a, in a, in a, in a meaningful and thoughtful way. So you are. So. I love this, really interest, this great progress on this UN resolution that's, you know, talking about the high seas area. And then you also tell me about the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards and. Oh, yes, that. And then maybe some of your favorite honorees.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah, this is David Hallvarg and I, David Hallvarg, who's executive director of Blue Frontier, came to me after Peter died and said, I think it would be great if we could start the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards in honor of him. And Peter and I had often talked about the fact that There are people from so many different walks of life that are needed in order to protect the ocean. And whether it's a government person or a youth leader or a reporter like you, a photographer, all of us from all these different angles need to be involved. And often when I'm giving a speech, people afterwards come up to me, especially young people, and say, oh, I just. I want to do something hands on in the ocean. And I say to them, you know, you don't have to be hands on. Just join whatever environmental group is in your town. Do it as an avocation. Yeah, it'd be great if you become a marine scientist, but. But we need all of you. So that's what the Benchley Awards were based on. And we produced them from 2011 to 2017, and then I retired them because there was a lot going on in my life. And now a year ago, the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, which is a group of the 27 large aquariums in the United States, came to me and said they would like to produce the Benchley Awards. They'd like to have the aquariums take them over. So what an honor to have them want Peter and Jaws and me to be part of the ocean conservation community in that kind of a formal writing. Yeah, it was. Well, you know, the ocean community had always embraced the Benchleys because I think most people realize that if you've got something like Jaws that is always there in the public's eye, it keeps the public sort of interested in sharks and the ocean and thinking, oh, that's another good thing that's happening, or this is a bad thing that's happening, and it keeps interest piqued. So here we are. We just had a Benchley Awards at the National Aquarium in Baltimore on May 8, which was actually Peter's birthday. May. Yeah, it was lovely. Just lovely. And, gosh, we had just superb awardees. And I just want to say that it was a celebration in so many ways, because we listened to these awardees, some of them who have been working in the ocean for 30, 40, 50 years, and then the people who were presenting the awards also who had been working for 50 years on Ocean issues, and we all realized that no matter what was happening in our country, politically, these people and all of these programs have been established for many, many years in this country and around the world. And. And they are not going to just disappear. They are there. Everybody is still working out around the world. The world is still working hard on climate issues, ocean issues, environmental issues, and we're going to be successful.

[Leslie Heaney]

Well, I mean, thank goodness. I mean, honestly, Wendy, and thank God for people like you who are bringing it to the forefront and who are continuing to do. And as you said, because of all of the work that you and Peter did and the legacy of Jaws, you continuing to shine a light on the importance of it really just elevates it and gets it out in the public eye for people to learn more about it and to care about it. To care about not just, you know, shark conservation and, you know, to avoid the overfishing of sharks, but just to be mindful about our oceans.

[Wendy Benchley]

Right.

[Leslie Heaney]

And, you know, part of that, we talked a little bit about the 50th anniversary documentary, which is a spectacular documentary for anyone listening. You have got to watch it. It's on Hulu.

[Wendy Benchley]

It's Hulu. And Disney.

[Leslie Heaney]

Disney. And you know, that. Also, obviously, that film, Explorer, it talks a lot about Peter and it talks about the making of the movie and all that Spielberg did to bring that to life and some of the fits and starts that he had him doing that. But it also talks a lot about conservation and the work that you've all done since then and the importance of that book and that movie, really bringing that to the forefront in the years that followed.

[Wendy Benchley]

How fortunate we were that it was Stephen that did this movie. There was one director that Peter talked to and David and Richard talked to that kept calling the shark a whale, and so he was out. And Stephen was so insistent on having the movie done on the ocean and having real, Real people, townspeople in the movie and then, of course, the brilliant three main actors that I think that movie just has so much depth and character development to it and tension. Yes. That I hope it just keeps going for another 50 years. Peter and I were so fortunate to be part of this. And what more could you ask for in life than to write a book and then have it lead to a whole life on the ocean. Yeah. And a life of passion and conservation. So I. I count myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth.

[Leslie Heaney]

Well, well, we. I mean, I. I think we're all so fortunate, Wendy, to have, you know, have had Peter write that to highlight the importance of sharks and doing it and having one of the really positive impacts being people wanting to learn more about them. And, I mean, you see the popularity of Shark Week on Discovery, it's like their. Their number one week, I think. And it's.

[Wendy Benchley]

And let's not forget Shark Fest on Disney, which is really superb.

[Leslie Heaney]

Yes, of course, of course. But, you know, you mentioned that, and I. I forgot to sort of Say, and people who watch the documentary will get a much deeper dive into it. And again, everyone should do that because my retelling of it doesn't do it justice. But, you know, there were these key main actors, but everybody else in the film were locals. They were, you know, the casting director picked people that actually grew up there or lived there, you know, were not professional actors who were in Jaws. And so you really do. It does give you, you know, that real authentic feel. And you really care about these people that are there and all that they're facing with. You know, we talked about some of the economic issues, but that was fascinating to learn that, you know, the deputy, the chief Brody's deputy wasn't just a local person who grew up on.

[Wendy Benchley]

And in fact. In fact, I am in Jeff Kramer's house right now.

[Leslie Heaney]

Stop it.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yeah, he's the deputy person. And you see that Jaws up there on the. There's a. This is Jeff Kramer's house. Jeff and I have kept in touch, and so he's nice enough to let us rent this terrific house, which is right down on Vineyard Haven harbor in Martha's Vineyard. And you mentioned it earlier that Peter and I did come to Martha's Vineyard and Peter was briefly in the film. And then when Peter died, I married marvelous, wonderful John Jepsen. And so we have made Martha's Vineyard, not Nantucket, but Martha's Vineyard, our summer home for the last 10 years.

[Leslie Heaney]

Oh, my. That must be. So you must be walking around, right?

[Wendy Benchley]

It feels just great memories.

[Leslie Heaney]

Yes. I don't know. Like coming home in a way, on so many levels.

[Wendy Benchley]

Yes.

[Leslie Heaney]

Well, Wendy, I'm so excited to talk to you and to. Because I am just a huge fan of the book and of the movie and of all of your work that you and Peter did after that. But you. But what you've done personally around conservation is really just extraordinary.

[Wendy Benchley]

So I'm only one of thousands and thousands of people, but thank you, Leslie. I've really enjoyed talking to you and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to be out speaking publicly about this.

[Leslie Heaney]

Well, thank you so much, Wendy. I really appreciate it and everyone listening. You have to watch the documentary because you'll get such an inside view to just the making and learning more about Peter and all the wonderful work that Peter and Wendy did after the movie came out. It's a must watch for sure.

[Wendy Benchley]

Thank you.

[Leslie Heaney]

That brings us to the end of this episode of the interview. A huge thank you to Wendy Benchley, who is just brilliant and thoughtful and thank goodness to her for all the incredible work that she's doing to save our sharks and our oceans. Thank you too to our sponsor, 10 Mile Distillery. Don't forget to check out their website, www.tenmiledistillery.com for their incredible whiskey and spirits and use the promo code theinterview at checkout. Thank you so much listeners for listening. We have two episodes coming out next week on our Travel Summer series, so please tune in for that. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Our ratings are really important and help boost us on all those great places where you get your podcasts. We really appreciate your support. And until next week, this is Leslie and thanks so much for joining the interview.