It's another InC-terview and this time, we have the director from White House Down, Roland Emmerich who well, blew up the prominent building in America in the movie!
Many would have heard his name or seen a number of his shows such as Independence Day (Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum), 2012 (John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejikfor) and The Day after Tomorrow (Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal).
During a roundtable interview with Emmerich, who was in town a few months back shared his views on blowing up the White House in White House Down, the cast and his view as a ‘disaster-film’ director.
White House Down starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx and Maggie Gyllenhaal opens InCinemas 27 June!
We know that you always focus on ‘father-son’ in your past movies, so for this movie, you have a ‘father-daughter’ aspect, are you an emotionally driven director?
Roland: I just believe in family, believe in the bond of people together naturally. You have a daughter or son which you have a love, totally different from man and woman, it’s what is like to fall in love and the other one is born love.
I don’t have kids myself but I’m very close to my sister and my siblings’ kids. We are a close-knitted family so it's just like something I want to have in my films, it just comes naturally. It was one of the elements. I didn’t write the script and so for me, it was too good to be true, for the father-son story and there was the buddy element, which I always kinda want it to do and the political element, because it's the White House.
Why do you think people resonate so well when you blow up the White House?
Roland: Because it (the White House) is the symbol of civilization and democracy and when the White House is in problem, America is in problem.
Do you think it's easy to blow up the White House? What do you think when you did the film?
Roland: I think it is not easy at all to blow up the White House or to take over the White House. That is why the scripting did a great job because it was an ‘inside’ job. It’s pretty much like somebody from the secret service themselves, and that's the only way I can see that it will only happen.
Do you have any fears to be typecast as a disaster-flick expert or sort?
Roland: Well I am! I have already been put to that label for a long time. I make something else and it's not interesting. As a director you are good at certain things and most of the time because you are drawn to certain subject matters.
I love to have character-cast and shows like ‘anonymous’ is more to character casting. I think when you look into my future films, you would be like ‘oh yeah, it make sense, because it’s this director.’ and that comes out from my deep down that I love these kind of stories and in a way that I am passionate in.
How much time was spent on researching the White House to make it as realistic as possible?
Roland: Lots of time, I mean, be it in the script or not, we were hovering over maps of the White House because it is like a cat-and-mouse game in the White House and we have to figure out how we all do that. The art department made several trips to the White House and there is like a historic White House society to make this as accurate as possible.
(View all trailers of White House Down here!)
You have worked with great actors and a great ensemble, how do you keep egos in check?
Roland: I make sure there are no egos in the characters! (laugh) I actually call colleagues and say, ‘So! Tell me... how is he/she like?’ It's hard for an actor to take himself so seriously, certain kind of sets.
When actors come in, they see what’s going on and soak up the atmosphere. It is hard for them to be prima-donnas as they see everyone else is working really hard and actors talk among themselves. Then when you get lucky, everything goes fine. I had once or twice in my life that they (actors) were difficult. I was not even upset about it, I was more concerned.
It all started with 2012 and the Mayan calendar. Do you think people will have intentions to blow up the white house?
Roland: No... I don’t think so. Also, it’s not the first and will not be the last White House (related movie). I think the White House is such a famous building, like the American president. There were a lot of comedies, a couple of action movies and next time it’s something else! It’s because it's a centre of power and one of the most powerful country in the world right now.
On your male leads...?
Roland: I think I rarely say that but after I met Channing Tatum and shot with him for about a week, I said, ‘this man will be a superstar’ and I only say this to people like 2 or 3 times in my life.
Channing, an action born star?
Roland: He will be, in the next 10 years. A very big star.
You said you say this 2-3 other times, who are they?
Roland: Will smith. He’s a natural.
Talking about Will Smith, will you be using him?
Roland: A sequel? I think he will not want to do that. If you are like him and like a big international star, only once in a while you’ll do a sequel. He only did Men in Black III and I think he didn’t get good notes for that, they criticized him! He will not do a sequel pretty soon. Mainly it will be new characters to be the leads if you want to do a sequel.
I know for your movies, you always promote them with a good conscious and want to stand for it politically. For this movie, what are you trying to stand for?
Roland: I want this movie to stand for democracy. I think that democracy is really imperil in America. The country is too divided on both sides and it just cannot be a country that is this divided. If you live in America, it’s like an atmosphere of aggression. My movies are a little bit to show the dangers of that.
While we wait for the movie to screen InCinemas, let's take a look at this 4-minute trailer!