I'm only a stupid filmmaker.

When it comes to action, I'd say Mel Gibson and Will [Smith] were great.

I would say, when it comes to comedy, I think Matthew Broderick was great.

Dean [Devlin, Emmerich's partner on "Independence Day"] and I always said that we'd only do it when we had a really good story that excites us both, and we have the story written. And we've had it for a year and a half, two years. So we've been ready.

I try to put in every one of my movies some sort of message. I don't want to overdo it, because I don't want people to get annoyed by it, but it's good to have a message.

["2012"] it was really more about the subject matter, and to do a modern retelling of Noah's Ark, a flood story.

Do not fear. Some things will never change.