Roland Emmerich faced death over 20 years ago, as he tells in an interview with “Bunte”.
Hollywood director Roland Emmerich (68) says he has had a different outlook on life since he was diagnosed with cancer more than 20 years ago. “I now take more time for my private life,” says the filmmaker (“Godzilla,” “Independence Day”) in the new issue of “Bunte.” “Friendship. Good food. Love. Be faithful to your husband.” All of these things are important in life. “I had a brain tumor that was discovered in 2001. And I thought it was all over.”
He was staring death in the eye at the time, says Emmerich. “I’ve never been the type of person who throws his hands up in the air and says: ‘Oh, I have to die.’ That actually spurred me on. I then made my film about climate change, ‘Day After Tomorrow,’ because I wanted to do something good for the world. It was supposed to be written on my gravestone. It came out in 2004 and was a huge success.”
The long scar that can be seen on his head is the surgical scar, says Emmerich. “I have no problem with it if it is visible.” He had “two operations in 2001,” “that was the year I had cancer.” “It was a medium-grade tumor, but if it had come back, it would probably have been a high-grade tumor, and that would have been my death sentence.” He was really lucky.
In his relationship with his husband, who is 33 years younger than him, Emmerich assumes that he will probably be the first to die, says Emmerich. Marriage as such has changed little for him. “I have always been monogamous. That’s just how I am wired. And I have found a young man who is also monogamous. That is great.”
Emmerich was born in Stuttgart, but now lives most of his time in London and Los Angeles. In Italy, he shot the first season of a TV series about gladiators in ancient Rome, entitled “Those About to Die,” for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. The Amazon series, which stars British Hollywood star Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian, will be released later this month (July 18).
BUNTE report
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
