The 2004 release of Alexander Payne’s celebrated Sideways launched Thomas Haden Church, then toying with the idea of retiring from acting to tend fulltime to his four Texas ranches, into high demand. He’s kept busy since, with voiceover work, a litany of supporting turns and of course a high-profile gig as Sandman in Spider-Man 3. His latest performance is the quiet title role in Don McKay, a woozy adult drama/mystery, studded with moments of dark humor, whose hazy machinations are revealed deep in its running time. Church plays a janitor who returns to his small hometown, drawn by a letter from his high school girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue), from whom he drifted apart after devastating events 25 years earlier. I caught up with Church recently to talk about the long, slow haul of getting an independent film made, even in the wake of an Oscar nomination, as well as his role in the much-buzzed-about John Carter of Mars. For the Q&A, from New York Magazine‘s Vulture, click here.