The child star from the movie Jaws has opened up about the amount of money he still makes from the blockbuster, even 50 years on.
It’s been half a century since Steven Spielberg’s 1975 thriller first terrified audiences and cemented our collective fear of sharks, but one of the film’s youngest cast members is still cashing in on his short-lived role.
Jeffrey Voorhees was just 12 years old when he appeared in the movie as Alex Kintner, the boy who met a bloody end while floating on a raft.
Despite being on the screen for less than a minute, the now-62-year-old says the part has continued to pay off in surprising ways.
“It pays to die,” Voorhees joked, per Metro. “I was a 12-year-old kid who was in the movie for, like, a minute, but there are some real Jaws fanatics out there.”
Voorhees revealed that he still makes significant money from conventions, signings, and tours, often flying around the world to meet fans.
“One guy in England just bought 125 photos. I do signings. They fly me all over the world and pay me in cash at those things - around £10,000 ($13,500) a time,” he said.
He also hosts guided tours on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where Jaws was filmed, and says demand skyrockets if he’s present. “There are Jaws tours and people pay double if I’m on them, and next month I’m appearing at three Meet, Greet, and Mingle Parties,” he added.
In addition to this. Voorhees receives royalties every time the movie airs on television. “My brother lives in Portugal, and I’ll get texts from him going, ‘Good news, you just died on TV over here. You’ll get another cheque,’” he laughed.
The former child star's venture into Cameo has also proved lucrative, with one of his most memorable requests coming from a grieving family. Their loved one had died while watching Jaws, and Voorhees was asked to record a funeral message.
“I said, ‘Hey, your father and I had a little something in common. He died watching me die. This is the dead Alex Kintner, Jeff Voorhees, here on Martha’s Vineyard - Amity Island. Just want to say - have a Jawesome funeral,’” he recalled. “I thought they’d be annoyed, but they gave me a five-star review.”
While Voorhees once tried to distance himself from his child star past, he eventually embraced it. “At first, I used to hide from the fact that I’d been in Jaws, and then finally I realised I could make some good money and make people happy,” he said.
Beyond signings, Voorhees also managed a seafood restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard for several years, a fitting twist for the boy who became one of cinema’s most famous shark victims.
Fifty years after its release, Jaws remains one of the most iconic films ever made, spawning three sequels, a theme park ride, video games, and countless memorabilia. The franchise has grossed over $800 million worldwide.
For Voorhees, it has meant a lifetime of unexpected opportunity. As he puts it: “It pays to die.”