"When you find something where you can give people a message and still make it an exciting movie, you get very, very excited about something. You probably even work harder than you normally do"
About this Quote
The intent is pragmatic, almost industrial. A "message" is not framed as moral duty but as a creative accelerant. If the theme can ride shotgun with the thrills, it doesnt slow the machine down; it upgrades the engine. Thats the subtext: the mainstream audience is reachable, even persuadable, but only if you respect their appetite for momentum. Emmerich isnt arguing for subtle cinema. He is arguing for efficient cinema, where meaning is delivered at speed.
Context matters because his filmography has often been treated as apolitical disaster pageantry, even when it plainly isnt. Independence Day turns invasion into a myth of collective solidarity. The Day After Tomorrow packages climate anxiety as a chase movie. Even his historical dramas chase the same bargain: make the lecture hall feel like a multiplex.
The most revealing phrase is "work harder than you normally do". Its a tell that message-plus-entertainment is technically difficult, not automatically virtuous. The audience will forgive a sermon if the movie keeps moving, but they wont forgive boredom. Emmerichs excitement is less about ideology than about the rare moment when craft, commerce, and conviction align.
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Emmerich, Roland. (2026, January 16). When you find something where you can give people a message and still make it an exciting movie, you get very, very excited about something. You probably even work harder than you normally do. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-you-find-something-where-you-can-give-people-110310/
Chicago Style
Emmerich, Roland. "When you find something where you can give people a message and still make it an exciting movie, you get very, very excited about something. You probably even work harder than you normally do." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-you-find-something-where-you-can-give-people-110310/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When you find something where you can give people a message and still make it an exciting movie, you get very, very excited about something. You probably even work harder than you normally do." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-you-find-something-where-you-can-give-people-110310/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



