Sundance's Stars: Adrian Grenier, Marisa Tomei, James Franco and More

PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 25, 2010 — -- Red carpet fiestas and bags o' swag, low-budget films and no-frills screenings: Welcome to the dichotomy that is the Sundance film festival.

Sundance 2010, which kicked off Thursday in Park City, Utah, and runs through Sunday, is really what you make of it. You can be like Adrian Grenier or Joseph Gordon-Levitt -- learning about some of the most talked about films ("Catfish," "Cyrus") while promoting your own (Grenier's "Teenage Paparazzo," Gordon-Levitt's "Hesher").

Or you can be like former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Ian Ziering. Festival-goers have seen the '90s actor making the rounds at Park City's many swag stations, snatching up bag after bag of free loot, such as Under Armour clothing, LG cell phones and Nexxus haircare products. Same goes for Jon Gosselin, who was spotted at the gift suites at Park City's Sky Lodge hotel, picking out Rebecca-brand jewelry for his new girlfriend, Morgan Christie.

Sundance founder Robert Redford said last week that he wanted to keep out Hollywood's red carpet happy hoi polloi such as Paris Hilton and bring the 32-year-old festival back to its original, rebellious roots. The former ain't happening. Over here, it's not a party until a D-list celebrity shows up at the door.

But the veteran star's other goal -- to get festival-goers to buck mainstream Hollywood's trends -- is coming to fruition. You're not going to find any "Avatar"-like behemoths here, just actors, actresses and filmmakers doing what they do best.

Below, check out what some of Sundance's most prominent attendees told ABC News Now's "Popcorn With Peter Travers," and check out ABCNews.com's Not Another Celebrity Gossip Blog for dispatches directly from the festival.

"Teenage Paparazzo" actor-director Adrian Grenier on befriending celebrity photogs for his documentary: "There's this base, animalistic drive to survive, to feed themselves. It's a layer of every human being. But I think there's another layer that's more thoughtful, that has ethical decisions to make. One side of the paparazzi that needs improvement is that ethical consciousness. On the other hand, the paparazzi, when you get to know them, they're us. They're human. They're charming, they're smart. I'm glad to have gotten to know them."

James, Franco, Marisa Tomei, Reggie Miller Speak Out at Sundance

"Hesher" actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Marc Webb, who directed him in "500 Days of Summer," signing on to direct "Spider-Man" four: "I think Marc is going to make a really, really good movie. When movies like that are good, it's because they're actual human stories, like 'The Dark Knight.' That's why '500 Days of Summer' was such a good movie. He's a storyteller."

"Howl" actor James Franco on playing a version of himself who is in love with a Japanese body pillow on "30 Rock": "The character was named James Franco, but that character has nothing to do with my life. Although I did keep that body pillow, so I guess art is becoming life."

"Cyrus" actress Marisa Tomei on working with castmates Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly: "There was a lot of YouTube video watching, a lot of, 'What's the funniest video in the world right now?' And, of course, there was a lot of laughter."

Tomei on her opening line in "Cyrus," "Nice penis": "It's a great first line."

"Winning Time" star Reggie Miller on his rivalry with Spike Lee: "We've somewhat mended fences. Spike, I consider you a [pause] good friend. Thank you very much for your participation in this movie. Next time, drinks are on you."

"Sympathy for the Delicious" actor-director Mark Ruffalo on a brain tumor that paralyzed one side of his face: "For 10 months, waiting for my face to start moving again, I was like, 'What am I going to do with my life?' Acting was my way to make a living, how could I act if one side of my face is paralyzed? I had this baby, I had all these things that I had been working toward for so long ... I went down into the dark."

"HappyThankYouMorePlease" actor/director Josh Radnor on writing for women: "One thing I'm really interested in doing is writing good roles for women. Young actresses really get saddled with the long-suffering girlfriend or the stripper or the hot chick that everyone hoists their fantasies on. I wanted to write roles for funny, confident women, the women that I'm friends with."

"Cyrus" actor Jonah Hill and "Eastbound and Down" actor Danny McBride on wearing too much clothing at too-crowded parties: "It's so cool that we come to parties and just like, sweat."