Susan Baclineni, the actress and model, was a slender young woman & nationally ranked professional swimmer and diver. She had performed as a mermaid and worked as an animal ltrainer when, at age 28, she was hired to play the skinny Chrissy in Jaws (1975).
“I didn’t want an actor to do that. I wanted to be a stunt actor because I needed someone skilled in the water, who knew water ballet and knew how to withstand what I imagined would be a lot of violent shaking,” Spielberg said in Laurent Bouzereau’s 2023 book. Spielberg: The first ten years. “So, I did the stunts to find her, and Susan was up to the challenge.”