Question 1

True or false: Spielberg has won more Academy Awards than any other living director.

Accepted Answer

False. He has three Oscars (two for Best Director), but John Ford holds the record with four; Spielberg isn't the living leader.

Question 2

True or false: He used a real, working shark for most of 'Jaws,' not just a mechanical one.

Accepted Answer

False. The mechanical shark 'Bruce' was famously unreliable; Spielberg used real sharks only in a few distant shots, not for most scenes.

Question 3

True or false: Steven Spielberg directed the film 'Jaws' without ever seeing the ocean before filming began.

Accepted Answer

True. Spielberg had never been on the open ocean before 'Jaws' and was terrified of it, which fueled the film's tense atmosphere.

Question 4

True or false: Spielberg's first feature film was 'Duel,' a TV movie about a killer truck.

Accepted Answer

True. 'Duel' (1971) was his directorial debut for television, later released theatrically, and launched his career with its suspense.

Question 5

True or false: He secretly helped George Lucas edit 'Star Wars' to add more explosions.

Accepted Answer

False. Spielberg was a friend and supporter, but he didn't edit 'Star Wars'; Lucas handled the film with his own team.

Question 6

True or false: Spielberg was rejected from film school at the University of Southern California twice.

Accepted Answer

True. USC's film school rejected him due to low grades; he later attended California State University, Long Beach, before dropping out.

Question 7

True or false: Spielberg turned down directing 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' to make 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence.'

Accepted Answer

True. He passed on 'Harry Potter' to honor a promise to Stanley Kubrick by directing 'A.I.,' which Kubrick had originally planned.

Question 8

True or false: The character of Indiana Jones was originally written as a clumsy archaeologist named Indiana Smith.

Accepted Answer

False. Indy was always named Indiana Jones; 'Indiana Smith' was an early joke by George Lucas, but Spielberg hated it.

Steven Spielberg Trivia Questions