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Kids Of Richard Dreyfuss Remember Their Dad In 'Jaws'

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

OK, so I clearly need to watch that movie. Last summer, our colleague Steve Inskeep of Morning Edition interviewed two people who did just that. They were the children of actor Richard Dreyfuss, who plays a marine biologist in "Jaws." Emily and Ben Dreyfuss barely remembered the details of the movie, and they told Steve all about the experience of re-watching it.

EMILY DREYFUSS: It was so hot in Boston, I needed to be air-conditioned. And my husband pointed out that the movie theater right by our house was playing "Jaws." And my gut reaction was I don't want to go see to "Jaws" in a movie theater. That's going to be totally weird. And then he reminded me that neither of us had seen it in years and that maybe it would be funny, and it was awesome. It turns out I barely remembered it. I really thought my dad was the hero - not that he wasn't heroic, but I thought he killed the shark basically single-handedly and then swam home.

BEN DREYFUSS: I had just seen "Jaws" last year when my mother had said, "Oh, look, "Jaws" is on. My favorite part is when Dad kills the shark." And I was like Dad didn't kill the shark. And she was like, "Shut up, Ben. I was married to him. He killed Jaws."

(LAUGHTER)

B. DREYFUSS: And so we watched it, and, of course, he doesn't kill Jaws. And she was like - oh, wow.

MARTIN: Ben and, before him, Emily Dreyfuss. Another thing - the movie's most famous line - we played it earlier - the one that goes...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "JAWS")

ROY SCHEIDER: (As Brody) You're to going to need a bigger boat.

MARTIN: That wasn't that their father, Richard Dreyfuss, who said it, but almost everyone attributes it to him.

B. DREYFUSS: Our entire lives, when people come up to my dad, that's the line they always quote. One time, he and I were in Miami, and he corrected someone. And the person looked at him and said, no, you said it, and walked away.

(LAUGHTER)

B. DREYFUSS: And we're like - oh.

(SOUNDBITE OF "JAWS" THEME SONG)

MARTIN: Ben Dreyfuss with his sister Emily, last year on NPR's Morning Edition, sharing their memories with of "Jaws."

(SOUNDBITE OF "JAWS" THEME SONG)

MARTIN: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.