Actor Jeff Goldblum, most popular for his work in films such as Independence Day, The Fly and Jurassic Park, says the movie-making process has matured and so have the audience.
Ahead of the June 24 release of the sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, Goldblum said in an interview over phone from Sydney: “I’ve become more appreciative of this beautiful planet since I played the character David Levinson in the first film. It has made me more caring towards life and be thankful for the opportunity of being present on this planet.”
Since the events of Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996), his character David has become the director of Earth Space Defence Program, a defence unit where hybrid weapons are created to protect the world from alien invasion. “I’m [David] leading a whole new life now,” Goldblum said. “Probably everyone on Earth is since the war of 1996. As an MIT-graduate, I was thrust into some circumstances I wasn’t prepared to face. Twenty years have gone by, and we’re facing something much bigger and stronger than what we faced last time.”
The sequel stars Liam Hemsworth, who replaces Will Smith in the original, Bill Pullman, Charlotte Gainsborough and Vivicia A Fox. Was Goldblum aware of a sequel in the offing?
“I wasn’t sure if they were going to work on a sequel,” Goldblum said. “A few years ago I got a call from director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin. They’d said they cracked the story idea for the sequel. When I heard the story, I was quite excited, and I really liked what they had done to my character.”
Goldblum said he had to revisit his character. “Twenty years is a long time to stay attached to a character,” he said. “Before we started shooting for this film, I revisited my character and it was educational, enlightening and really fascinating. I was so thrilled to see it again, even though it’s played on the television quite often.”
The film also marks Goldblum’s reunion with Emmerich, whom he considers a very passionate filmmaker.
“Roland’s vision is a whole, whole lot bigger this time,” Goldblum said. “The movie-making process has matured and so has the audience. It’s amazing what Roland has achieved with new tools and advanced technology. With a bigger budget, he’s created something incredible and epic.”
When asked how Emmerich has changed as a filmmaker over the years, Goldblum said, “As a human being, he’s still the same person. He’s become warmer, sweeter and more generous. As a director, he has gotten more passionate. Dean [Devlin] was telling me, ‘I’ve never seen Roland with such a fire in his belly.’”
Independence Day is a story about a few brave men and women coming together to save the planet from the brink of extinction. Can a few men and women bring about a change when they collaborate?
“If people work in synergy and collaborate over shared principle of a vision and only work towards win-win credo, then it will definitely work,” Goldblum said. “As a kid, I remember my mother reading Dr Seuss’s book, Horton Hears a Who! In the story, a small world is in jeopardy and everybody works in harmony to save it. When people come together, the intention should be clear of what they want to achieve and only then can they succeed.”As Goldblum gets ready for the war against aliens, he feels extra-terrestrial life is not completely a myth.
“Research shows us that nobody has contacted us from outside,” he said, “But one can’t completely rule out the likelihood of some form of life on another planet.”
This article first appeared on IANS.