MAIKA MONROE

Patricia Whitmore in Independence Day: Resurgence

Was the original Independence Day part of your childhood?

I was two when it came out but I was probably about 10 or 11 when I saw it for the first time. My dad was a huge fan of the film, so he showed it to me. I think we rented it on VHS! The good old days! It’s a super-special film.

What’s Roland Emmerich like as a director?

He’s very specific and I like that in a director. He’s very focused on all the green screen and the extras and everything that’s going on in the background but he cares most about the performances, because without that you really have nothing. So we’d really take our time – sometimes we’d be doing 15 takes on a scene.

You had SWAT team training when you made

Was that something that you brought to this film?

The 5th Wave.

Oh yeah, that helped a lot – just holding a gun and knowing how to hold a gun is so specific, so very, very helpful – just the technique, how you move.

Can you take a gun apart and put it back together?

I might need a little help but I think I could, yeah!