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4:22 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, 2009

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B.J. Novak, from stand-up to 'Inglorious Basterds'

Says Tarantino is a softie and small talk with Brad Pitt was hard

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By Gina Piccalo

For the AJC

A Harvard grad, B.J. Novak was a stand-up comedian and had a stint as Ashton Kutcher's accomplice on MTV's "Punk'd." Then a great one-liner earned him a spot on NBC's comedy "The Office" as a writer, producer and the snide temp "Ryan."

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S Granitz, WireImage.com B.J. Novak found it hard to make small talk with 'Inglourious Basterds' costar Brad Pitt.

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But it was Quentin Tarantino who encouraged him to learn how to scalp for "Inglourious Basterds," a breathtaking spectacle of violence only Quentin Tarantino could pull off.

In this bloody homage to pulp and propaganda, Novak plays a Jewish American soldier who exacts merciless revenge against Nazi troops.

Here, Novak talks about the perils of stand-up comedy, Tarantino's soft spot and his nerve-wracking encounter with Brad Pitt in the back of a truck.

Q: I read that "The Office's" executive producer Greg Daniels saw you perform and hired you to write for the show based on one joke. What was the joke?

A: The joke was: "I learned nothing in college. It was kind of my own fault. I had a double major. Psychology. And reverse psychology." He told me when he met me that he liked my writing, but he also liked the timing in my delivery. The pauses and the rhythm were similar to what he wanted on "The Office."

Q: What was your first impression of Quentin Tarantino?

A: I guess he was warmer than I expected. He was very generous with his compliments and opinions and honesty. ... He was very sweet and you could tell that he approached things with a lot of love and vulnerability, which are not the first things that people associate with Tarantino. Although, if you look at his movies I think anyone that has that much passion comes from that place.

Q: What was it like working with Brad Pitt?

A: I've told my friends, this was the movie version of making a movie. ... If you're a teenager dreaming of what [making a] movie should be like, you're dreaming of Quentin Tarantino behind the lens and Brad Pitt sitting next to you. And it really was that. ... One time I was with Brad Pitt in the back of a truck. We were filming a scene and there was a lot of down time. And it's not like meeting Brad Pitt at a party. You're alone in a room with Brad Pitt for two hours. What do you make small talk about? And he was the coolest, most down to earth, generous guy in conversation. Asking me lots of questions. ... And I'm answering them all and I suddenly start to panic and realize it's going to be my turn to ask questions. And I don't know what to ask Brad Pitt! You know? "How's your girlfriend?" "Must be pretty cool being Brad Pitt, huh?" I didn't know what to say.