Steven Spielberg is truly Hollywood’s most iconic director, and several stories from throughout his life signal how he gained such an esteemed reputation. From his love of film that dates back to his earliest years right through to his more recent biographical efforts, Spielberg has gifted the moviegoing public with some of the most beloved and acclaimed films the world has ever seen. Despite Spielberg’s first gaining recognition with the horrifying thriller Jaws, he’s also become a household name with family-friendly hits like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park.
Many of the best Spielberg movies have fascinating stories behind them that signal this filmmaker’s status as an icon of Hollywood. There are stories of technical issues that unwittingly led to the creation of the summer blockbuster or even a plan that saw Spielberg almost trade Schindler’s List with another filmmaker, showcasing that behind-the-scenes anecdotes have played into Spielberg’s legacy just as much as his actual films. As perhaps the definitive director of the 20th century, Spielberg has earned and continues to earn his place as Hollywood’s most iconic director.
10 Steven Spielberg’s First Movie
Spielberg has continually referenced Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth
It’s fascinating how Steven Spielberg’s life story is packed with the influences and impact of some of Hollywood’s most famous directors. This goes right back to Spielberg’s earliest years, as the first movie his parents ever took him to see was Cecil B. DeMille’s 1952 classic circus set drama The Greatest Show on Earth. The movie undeniably impacted the young Spielberg, and the acclaimed train crash scene has truly left a mark on his body of work.
The train crash scene terrified Spielberg, and at 12 years old, he recreated it with his Lionel trains and filmed it, making his very first movie an homage to the great director of his youth (via Open Culture.) It feels appropriate that Spielberg’s first home movie already highlighted his instincts to use his work to address his most personal fears while also embracing the legacy of Hollywood greats. This fascinating anecdote from Spielberg’s youth gives great insight into the man he would become and his later stature as Hollywood’s most iconic director.
9 Meeting John Ford
Spielberg cites the Western filmmaking legend as a major influence
While lovers of Spielberg’s work will remember his fellow director David Lynch’s incredible role as John Ford in The Fabelmans, many may not be aware that this encounter really happened. Just like in The Fabelmans, a young Spielberg managed to come face-to-face with his icon, who gave him some worldly advice as he was planning to become a filmmaker. Spielberg explained the encounter in an interview with Jon Favreau (via Far Out) as a formative moment in his young life.
Spielberg said Ford sat him down and said, “So they tell me you want to be a picture maker,” while inviting him to look at the painting in his office of “a horse and an Indian.” Ford asked Spielberg about where the horizon was placed in the painting and said to be a good filmmaker, one must learn “why it’s at the top and why it’s at the bottom.” Ford then unceremoniously told Spielberg to leave his office, but this seemingly innocuous encounter left its mark on Spielberg and was a lesson in scene construction he carried forward to greatness.
8 The Mechanical Shark In Jaws
Spielberg cleverly used technical difficulties to his advantage
Jaws is, of course, among the most important films in not just Steven Spielberg’s career but for Hollywood in general. As the inception point for the summer blockbuster, Jaws launched Spielberg as a major voice in cinema and became the highest-grossing film of all time before it was surpassed by Star Wars two years later. A defining characteristic of Jaws’ success was the mostly unseen nature of its shark antagonist, as what audiences could picture in their heads was always going to be more frightening than the real deal.
However, the story of how Jaws came to be showcased Spielberg’s early cinematic impulses and his innate understanding of what audiences would connect with. Originally, the shark in Jaws would have much more screen time, but mechanical failures meant the Jaws shark kept malfunctioning. Rather than ensure the shark, which had been nicknamed Bruce, was functioning as required, Spielberg suggested it be a mostly unseen figure, adding an extra ominous layer to the story. This was central to Spielberg’s breakout success and showed that to become Hollywood’s most iconic director, it was important to spin negatives into positives.
7 Declining Jaws 2
Spielberg refused to repeat himself
After literally creating the summer blockbuster with the release of Jaws, the expected next step for Steven Spielberg would be to make a sequel to his breakout megahit. However, this young filmmaker had no interest in repeating himself and, in a move that solidified his iconic status, rejected the opportunity to make Jaws 2. In October 1975, Spielberg even told the San Francisco Film Festival (via Far Out) that he felt “making a sequel to anything is just a cheap carny trick.”
Instead of being pigeonholed with making a sequel, Spielberg continued to carve out his cinematic legacy and spent the next few years making classics like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Jaws 2 was produced without Spielberg’s involvement, and the franchise continued with diminishing returns throughout the 1980s with Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge. Had Spielberg stuck around to make these lackluster sequels, their failure could have meant he would never have become Hollywood’s most iconic filmmaker.
6 Letting E.T.’s Legacy Stand Alone
Spielberg toyed with the idea of a sequel to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
As a filmmaker, Steven Spielberg has rarely returned to the well for sequels to his most popular movies, and it’s only in rare cases like Indiana Jones or Jurassic Park that he chose to revisit his own films. One release that worked perfectly as a standalone entry was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a beautiful story about the power of friendship, compassion, and empathy that needed no continuation. However, this almost wasn’t the case, as one story revealed that Spielberg seriously considered making a follow-up called E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears.
This sci-fi sequel would have featured Elliot and his friends being captured by evil aliens and their attempts to contact E.T. for help. It’s clear that this sequel would go against the poignant sentimentality of E.T., with Spielberg admitting that it “would do nothing but rob the original of its virginity. E.T. is not about going back to the planet” (via Blastr.) Instead, despite the clear financial gains that are to be made from a sequel, Spielberg has showcased his cinematic integrity by letting E.T.’s legacy stand for itself without a litany of unnecessary sequels.
5 Almost Swapping Films With Scorsese
Spielberg nearly gave Schindler’s List to Martin Scorsese
One major factor contributing to Steven Spielberg’s iconic status was his willingness to collaborate with and support other filmmakers. From Spielberg’s work with George Lucas on Indiana Jones to his involvement with Robert Zemeckis movies like Back to the Future, Spielberg’s filmography extends beyond just his directorial work and into many other classics of the 20th and 21st centuries. However, not all collaborative endeavors should be pursued, as evidenced by the fact that Spielberg very nearly traded one of his most important movies with Martin Scorsese.
The story goes that Spielberg was interested in a film version of Oskar Schindler’s story but felt he was not mature enough to make a film about the Holocaust and offered it to Scorsese. In place of Schindler’s List, Scorsese would trade his remake of Cape Fear, and the legendary filmmakers toyed with the idea of swapping movies. Luckily, Spielberg eventually opted to make the movie himself, and Schindler’s List signaled the beginning of a new, more mature era in his career, which blended family-friendly movies with more serious, adult-oriented works.
4 Spielberg’s Vision For The Jurassic Park Dinosaurs
Spielberg kicked off a new cinematic CGI revolution with Jurassic Park
Universal Pictures
Jurassic Park surpassed Steven Spielberg’s own E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to become the highest-grossing film of all time. Its groundbreaking depiction of dinosaurs was unlike anything audiences had ever seen. This iconic film was truly a pioneering work of art that would have only been possible with a director like Spielberg at the helm, as its ambitious visuals pushed cinema into brave new territory. Jurassic Park’s use of special effects paired with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs was so unique that it even made the crew nervous during filming.
The Jurassic Park crew included experts like technician Stan Winston and go-motion supervisor Phil Tippett, who were brought in to pull off Spielberg’s vision. Although some of Hollywood’s best minds were involved with the production, filming Jurassic Park was insanely difficult, and it was only through Spielberg and his crew’s tenacity and belief that it would all come together that the movie got made. However, all fears were confounded once the film was finally released in 1993. Spielberg added another notch to his filmmaking belt, further entrenching his reputation as Hollywood’s most iconic director.
3 Finishing What Kubrick Started
Spielberg took over from Stanley Kubrick to make A.I. Artificial Intelligence
While Steven Spielberg carved out a reputation for making some of the most accessible, family-friendly movies of all time, his contemporary and close friend Stanley Kubrick was known for dense and difficult releases such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon. One long-standing project that Kubrick hoped to make was an adaptation of the 1969 short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss, which he envisaged as a “picaresque robot version of Pinocchio” (via Panteli.) Sadly, Kubrick died during pre-production before he could complete the project, and Spielberg stepped in to complete the film for his late friend.
Spielberg’s willingness to carry on the legacy of his contemporaries and ensure that the world got to see a completed version of A.I. Artificial Intelligence was yet another showcase of his iconic status. While the world will never yet see how Kubrick would have told this story and Spielberg’s A.I. was packed with his signature sense of sentimentality, the movie’s production was still a cinematic gift for lovers of the work of both Spielberg and Kubrick. By dedicating the finished film to Kubrick, A.I. Artificial Intelligence was a touching tribute to Spielberg’s contemporary and friend.
2 Leaving On A Jet Plane
Spielberg personally flew to the set of Twister to yell at the director
Steven Spielberg is incredibly passionate about the films he makes, and this intense love for filmmaking also extends to the movies produced by his company, Amblin Entertainment. One story involving the 1996 disaster-hit Twister proved that Spielberg rarely took a backseat regarding productions in which he had a vested interest. One incredible story claimed that after hearing that crew members had stormed off the film set, he personally hoped on a private jet to yell at Twister director Jan de Bont for 15 minutes.
2:39 
Related “Never Even Got Off”: A Private Jet Flew Spielberg To ‘90s Thriller Set Just To Yell At The Director For 15 Minutes
A private jet flew Steven Spielberg onto the set of a disaster 1996 film just so he could yell at the director for 15 minutes straight.
According to stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers (via Independent), Spielberg “never even got off the plane” as he shouted at De Bont due to the issues with the crew putting Twister in jeopardy. Spielberg was particularly invested in the movie’s success because his endorsement got the movie endorsed in the first place. It’s interesting to see the more confrontational side of Spielberg’s professional life, as his movies so often lean into kindheartedness and poignant sentimentality. This shows that to become Hollywood’s most iconic director, knowing when to put his foot down and get mad was vital.
1 The Fabelmans Is Spielberg’s Story
Spielberg co-wrote The Fabelman’s screenplay about his own adolescence
While there are plenty of onset stories that made Steven Spielberg Hollywood’s most iconic director, it was the story of his youth that influenced his decision to become a filmmaker in the first place. With a childhood that was categorized by a great love of movies paired with the divorce of his parents when he was a teenager, Spielberg spent many decades envisioning a movie about his own upbringing. This almost occurred with I’ll Be Home, a screenplay written by his sister Anne, but later grew into The Fabelmans, co-written with Tony Kushner.
Although Spielberg was often influenced by his own experiences in his screenplays, The Fabelmans was the most outright biographical movie Spielberg had ever made. By telling the story of his childhood as he remembered it, Spielberg showcased to viewers his perception of how he became such an icon in Hollywood. Bringing together themes of compassion, empathy, fear, and trauma, The Fabelmans depicted how Spielberg’s personal difficulties influenced the man he became and how movies allowed him to escape into a world of imagination and find purpose and meaning in his existence.
Sources: Open Culture, Far Out, Far Out, Blastr, Panteli, Independent