Roland Emmerich Talks ‘Moonfall’ & Bringing Humanity To His Action Spectacles [Interview]

Roland Emmerich is known for directing some of cinema’s highest-grossing action and sci-fi epics. From the natural disasters of “The Day After Tomorrow” to the otherworldly invaders of “Independence Day,” the filmmaker’s decades of work have become pop culture phenomena. Now, he’s back with lunar mysteries in the film “Moonfall.”

READ MORE: ‘Moonfall’ Review: Roland Emmerich Directs His Most Preposterous Spectacle Yet

The project gives Emmerich a chance to explore some of today’s conspiracy theories, while also delving into the themes that have made his films box office hits. In the film, former astronaut Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) meets up with a man, KC Houseman (John Bradley), who claims to have dire information about the moon. They join up with Harper’s former partner Jo (Halle Berry) on a mission to save their families — and Earth itself.

The director spoke to The Playlist about his thoughts on being the modern-day proponent of epic filmmaking, what makes the sound and atmosphere so important to the film, and his ideas for future projects.

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You are arguably, I think, just a champion of modern-day disaster epics. Why do you think it is that people, no matter the time period, seem to love these movies?

Well, it was kind of strange for example when the pandemic hit all of a sudden “2012” creeped up on Netflix. It was like three or four, then it kind of went down again. I think it’s mainly because they recognize themself in it. They recognize their own problems in them, in the characters, a lot about family. Because of that I think they’re super popular. Don’t forget when I released “Independence Day” a lot of the stuff kind of like Marvel or DC Comics did they pretty much copied “Independence Day” on it. It was very much the same tone, the same chokey tone. It was interesting. The only guy that didn’t do that was Christopher Nolan. I really kind of appreciate that. 

I find in your films are often about the human experience. It’s about human connections. “Moonfall” is no different. What do you think it is about that structure of family that is so compelling in even the darkest times — as they’re facing in “Moonfall?” 

I think it is because sometimes in dark times you remember you have a family. Normally, you go through the world and you say to yourself or whatever but in dark times — a disaster coming closer and closer — you say I have a mom who has Alzheimer’s, I have a son. That’s what your mind goes to. I think the people recognize that. For example, Brian Harper doesn’t want to have anything to do with it until he sees on TV all of a sudden something about megastructures which then brings him to this guy, that’s how they meet. Even after the first meeting he says ‘yeah, still crazy.’ He knows this is so out of the blue, how can that ever be, and then it is. It’s kind of like, and don’t forget also I am trying to make all my movies different, “Independence Day” was different from “The Day After Tomorrow.” “The Day After Tomorrow” was different from “2012.” It’s more of a space movie in a way than anything else. 

Why did you choose to use so much of our very real history of space travel as opposed to just going completely out there and making up things about the past?

You actually have to base everything in reality, whatever you do. When you want to create something which has to feel real then you have to go back in time and use these elements. There was a two minute total silence in it where they probably said, “Oh, some lights.” Naturally it didn’t. Don’t forget the second time they went to the Moon, what they did is they left seismic instruments on the thing. They exploded the hull of the tank down on the Moon and the Moon was ringing like a bell. Why was it doing that? Only a hollow object can make a sound like that. If you have things like this people buy into it even if it has different reasons they will buy into it. 

It’s like I always say, I don’t believe in ghosts but my job depends on the fact that you do. 

Exactly. Whatever that is, you have to kind of use real elements in your fantastical stories just to make them more real. 

Were you aware of the concept of megastructures?

I had read about them but to a lesser extent, then when we made the movie I got a little bit deeper into it. It’s fascinating too because they believe that some of the planets they find could also be megastructures. There’s a real idea behind it. They are like whoever built them must have technology which goes far beyond what we ever imagined. 

I had never heard of this concept before I saw the film. 

That’s actually cool when you don’t know about it. At the beginning, you say, “What are megastructures? Why is he saying that?” They go into that too because they say maybe it’s a megastructure then, all of a sudden, on the news on the TV. 

Do you find that you have just gone completely towards CGI? Do you still find a little bit of practical left?

We’re always building foregrounds. Now, instead of only when a room has four walls then would you say okay let’s do it for real. But, for example, the hanger you see in the film with all the big spaceships was all like there’s nothing there. So, a little bit of the floor and then we had actually put our moon lander there and not like it kind of damaged. We can do all of this in CGI so much better now. That’s how you build foregrounds and the rest is all you know.

You have probably seen the changes from when you did something like “Independence Day” to now.

Yeah, I also have to say I make my movies 20 to 30 million dollars cheaper. That’s really important for me. I own 50% of every movie I make, that means I have to work cheaper. Even when I was working for the studios I always had 15, 20% of everything which came in. I have had this since “Independence Day.” 

When you make a film like “Moonfall” what do you hope the audience will take away from it?

I just want them to have fun. It’s one of those movies you really have to sit and strap up, hold on to your popcorn and it starts. Have the feeling you can laugh, you can cry, you can have all kinds of emotions then it’s over after two hours and five minutes or so. I hate movies which are too long. So, whenever I make a movie I’m like what else could we lose. This time, I actually lost a part of a big expensive action scene because it was too long to go up there in space. Everybody said, “Oh, it’s a little bit too long at the beginning. Let’s cut this whole scene out.” It was a huge scene. 

So, it had already been filmed?

Oh, yes. 

Any chance we will see that scene?

Yeah, on the blu-ray. 

This is exciting. I have to ask you about the end of this film. When I spoke to John (Bradley) earlier I asked, “What is the future for KC?” 

Well, if there is a sequel they build him a body and send him down to Earth because he has a warning. More or less, there is this one swarm informed all the other swarms where Earth is and where this Moon is just in case. They all come and kind of converge on Earth. He’s part of the same crew of people who have to fix it. 

I had the feeling watching the end of the film that somehow you had already written a treatment for the sequel.

Not a treatment but I know how this has to go. Now, I can tell you something really, really secret here. The extra shot, that scene, after maybe two or three tests. We shot that scene and included it in the ending. I went back to Montreal. I said you have to come and we have to shoot this scene. It’s with his mom and everything. There was a little bit longer dialogue but we condensed it from what it should be. Then she says, “We have to get ready” and he says, “Ready for what.” 

Because I always, we had always, had the shot in there which was we see the rings outside. All of a sudden an object is flying towards us which is like a New York cab. A piece of the swarm was still in there but for the people too simplistic. It was just for them not charming enough. Also, they were probably sad that KC Houseman disappeared out of the film. So, he’s still existing. Fuzz Aldrin is still existing. 

You’ve gotta love Fuzz.

Yes. Also, his mom, she’s like totally together naturally because she plays the Moon. It’s simple, at some point like a bubbly thing and just like this he has a body. 

Was it ever any thought, I know end credit or mid-credit sequences are popular thanks to Marvel, to put the KC scene there?

I’m not so hot about having end credit sequences at the very end. I think the movie is over and it is over.

“Moonfall” opens nationwide on February 4.