Roy Scheider: 1932-2008

Goddammit.

Roy Scheider died Sunday, February 10th.

I've been mulling over this post for two days now... and at the end of the day, there are plenty of other, better write-ups on the man and his life— try here, here, and here, for starters.

Still, I do have a few things of my own to say.

I don't have a single favorite movie, but when I get asked to name one, I consistently pick Jaws. Along with Aliens, E.T., and (to a lesser degree) Vertigo, watching Jaws was one of the most visceral and influential movie-going experiences—hell, art-going experiences— of my life. I don't remember the exact year I saw it, but I do remember the circumstances. In short: McDonald's was offering a promo with Universal Studios when I was about 10. They had two special cups, one featuring The Terminator (which I wanted badly), the other featuring the Jaws-attack from the Studio Tour. Apparently, I wanted the Terminator cup enough that I was able to convince my father to take me and my siblings to McDonald's, no small feat.

We got the Jaws cups. I, being me, asked my dad all about what the cup was about, and he told me, in general terms, the idea. I probably kept asking questions, so moved on the the best answer: he rented the VHS cassette that night, and we watched it.

Suffice to say that to this day, I have a really hard time swimming in any large body of water without someone swimming farther out that me. Because the shark will get him first.

To be clear, this is one of the best memories of my life, and I'm glad my dad showed me the movie when he did. It was the perfect time to change my life, and is probably one of the reason I'm out in Los Angeles, doing what I do. Getting the shit scared out of me for life was totally worth it.

All of this is to say: I would not be the same person had it not been for Roy Scheider. Chief Brody, the master of the deadpan-understatement, was a hero of mine from a young age, even if i didn't recognize it until late in my teens. If I was able to get back in the water at all, it was ultimately because the chief of police conquered his own fear and shot that son-of-a-bitch right in the air tank.

In other films, I always loved Scheider, even when the product wasn't at his level. He makes 2010 totally watchable for me— aside from a few other performances and a cool concept, he carries that film. "SeaQuest DSV" was never a great show, but he made it worth my while (which is probably why I tuned out of season three, when Michael Ironside took over).

It was only a few months ago that I wished Roy Scheider a happy birthday, and now he's gone.

At least he showed that shark who was boss.