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Jeff Goldblum is my favorite – today he is also a personal friend. I also like Woody Harrelson, who stars in «Midway». Mel Gibson is also an absolute professional. It is very much a question of character. I never liked actors like Tom Cruise.

Why?

If you use him in a role the viewer knows from the word go that he will win.

Do you ever watch your films in the theater?

No. I have to watch them so frequently during production that I don’t want to do it again. Also, I’m a perfectionist, which means that I can never produce a film to the level of perfection I aspire to.

If I watched my film of mine in a movie theater, I would only see the mistakes and what I could do better. I have to give my films up once I’m finished with them.

Admittedly, I occasionally watch them in a cinema 10 years later. In this case, I see it with different eyes, because I’ve forgotten so much about it. That's when I say «Wow, I’m impressed».

What do you do outside filmmaking?

I recently launched the application Vresh together with my business partner Marco Weber. With it, you can watch films on your mobile device through a 360-degree perspective and share them in real-time with friends or via social media. This way, users can share spectacular experiences through an all-round perspective and followers can join them in real-time.

Where can I get this app?

It's currently only available in the U.S. But starting in March, it will be available for iPhones in Europe and by June there will be one for Android. I expect a lot from this, especially in Asia, where a majority of users have Android mobile devices. In countries like China and Japan, we will make a quantum leap. In the U.S. demand has been brisk ever since its launch a month ago – we already have 30,000 downloads.

I don’t believe in virtual reality with oversize glasses. But I’m convinced about the future of the 360-degree perspective, which allows you to stream from one mobile device to the next and share via social media.

What makes you get up in the morning?

Making films. It’s something that stays with you forever. Of course, when I’m caught up in the production of a film, I always ask myself why I'm doing this. But once the film is released, I already want to produce my next.

How important is money to you?

Not particularly. I’m from a wealthy background; my father used to tell me that making films was an ungainful occupation. But when I made my first feature film during high school, which was a sensation at the time, he became convinced.

From then on, he objected to the fact that other people made money from it and urged me to produce my own films.

We went to the bank and my father told them: «Give him a loan.» The banker asked me for a guarantee and I gave them shares of my firm. Hence, with every film, I knew I had to earn money. It didn’t always work, but most of the time it did. I  made four films in Germany before the call came from Hollywood.

I told myself, «why not try it out?» The rest is history. I’m still here, and I now live in the Hollywood Hills.

Roland Emmerich, 63, was born in Stuttgart and is a German filmmaker, producer and author. He became famous with his films «Independence Day», «Godzilla», «The Day After Tomorrow», «2012» and «Stargate», a science-fiction movie that was used as background for a number of series and films. His latest film is called «Midway» and will reach the cinemas in November.