In a way, artists are shamans, facilitators who take what's there, channel it through themselves, then put it out there for people to appreciate.

In America, the word art has become like the word adultery. It's this big scarlet letter. When you say you're an artist, people are like, "Ugh."

When I'm working as a director, I might have an idea of my own but I'm also trying to get great ideas out of my actors. Directing is much more psychological - it's a lot like being a general. And you have to be organized. While you're making a film, you have between 2 and 500 people asking you a billion questions.

Spider-Man is a genuine American myth with a dark, primal power, but it's also got this great superhero, and - hey! - he can fly through the theater at 40 miles an hour. It's got villains, it's got skyscrapers, it's colorful, it's Manhattan. I knew it would be a challenge, but I saw the inherent theatricality in it, and I couldn't resist.

I call myself a playmaker sometimes - but that's just a word. I don't feel like I have to have a title or a job description.

Children have an easier ability to tap into the surreal than adults do, in a funny kind of way.

In a way, artists are shamans, facilitators who take what's there, channel it through themselves, then put it out there for people to appreciate.