PJ Novak for “Vengeance,” Casting John Mayer and Ashton Kutcher

He may have starred in the beloved sitcom ‘The Office’ and worked with his hero Quentin Tarantino in ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ but PJ Novak has never felt cooler than when he shot a fancy watering hole in Manhattan with his friend John Mayer. .

This realization inspired the opening sequence of Novak’s new movie “Vengeance,” a slice-of-life comedy that descends into a murder mystery set in the heart of America. But before all the shooting and bloodshed begins, the movie begins in the Soho House where characters Novak and Mayer do poetic poetry about dating and commitment in today’s era.

“I wanted this to be a collision of two films,” says Novak, who also wrote and directed on his debut in the feature film industry. “I wanted it to be a smart conversational movie — like ‘Manhattan’ — the kind I grew up enjoying myself. Then I wanted a real revenge movie.”

Novak plays writer and podcast maker Ben Manalowitz, who is looking for his next big project when he gets a call that his girlfriend, Abilene, has died of an opioid overdose. In Ben’s opinion, they weren’t in a serious relationship (as her parents thought), although they had gotten together a few times. Somehow, he was guilty of attending her funeral in Texas, only to discover that her heavily armed relatives believed she had been murdered. Sensing a career opportunity, Ben continues creating a podcast, called “Dead White Girl,” about the mission of solving a crime and avenging the death of Abilene.

As a lifelong eastern coaster, Novak knew very little about the South before he wrote “Vengeance.” But he spent a lot of time in the area getting to know the idiosyncrasies – for example, Texans the love Whataburger but can’t explain why – to make sure the movie didn’t turn into a caricature. Novak wants cross-cultural comedy to be shown to audiences in both red and blue states.

“Look, I’m from Boston. When Dunkin’ Donuts was in Good Will Hunting, I was really excited,” he says. “It’s important to get these details right.”

Novak spoke to diverse After the film’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and before its release in theaters at July 29.

What was the experience like watching ‘Vengeance’ with an audience at Tribeca?

It was very exciting. I’m not a brave solo filmmaker who doesn’t care what anyone but themselves thinks. I really want to entertain the audience. I really trust the audience. I remember when I watched Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, I noticed that a friend’s phone wasn’t as good as an audience poll. The public always knew the answer. It had a profound effect on me. All of this means that I care more about watching this movie in a theater of 900 people than almost anything.

How did you get Mindy Kaling to go to the premiere instead of the Tonys, who were both on the same night? [Kaling was a producer on “A Strange Loop,” which won best musical.]

I made a commitment to come as soon as I heard about it. She said: This is selfish and possessive. I don’t want you to be Jordan Peele and ditch me without me becoming a part of the ride.” It was obviously a very nice compliment, and in true Mindy style, it was sincere and a joke. But when I found out Tony was on the same night, I did a lot of guilt as she stumbled And she grumbles. I told her to go to Tony’s family, but she didn’t. I had this great show and celebrated it at the next party with my friends and then texted her, “Hey, did you win Tony?” And she wrote, “Yes.” And I thought, “Oh my God, this woman will never stop glorifying me.”

Where did the idea of ​​”revenge” come from?

It came from the version of my life that I parodied in the opening scene: I was a guy whose dream night was texting girls from Soho House with John Mayer, thinking we were two guys sure they figured out everything. I thought, “Well, what do I really want to change about this guy? And what situation would he do that?” funny?

The movie feels like a commentary on modern dating culture. Why is this your interest?

When I confessed to people how shallow I feel about my life in this way, I realized, “This is a very common phenomenon.” Everyone, on both sides of the text messages, doesn’t know how it’s being received or doesn’t know what the other person is thinking. You can text someone after a couple of nights, when you’re in the mood. All this misunderstanding, whether intentional or unintentional, was a starting point for this character.

What do you think of this misunderstanding?

Sad thing. We have so many choices that we end up avoiding real connections. A lot of the jokes in that opening scene are about people who don’t even realize it.

What kind of research have you done about what it’s like to live in Texas?

I chose Texas specifically because it was too far out of my comfort zone. Like the character, I’d been to Dallas and Austin, but hadn’t experienced this vast and completely different culture in West Texas. I knew I had to learn it enough to show what [Ben] It doesn’t get at first. I’ve made dozens of trips around West Texas with people I’ve met, and they introduced me to some really generous people. In the end, I found Pecos, Texas, which is what I was looking for – a true, proud and desolate stretch.

Did you go into the movie wanting to undermine the expectations that people living on the coasts might have about people living in the middle of the country?

I wanted to make a movie for everyone – for Texans, too. Some of the people I’ve worked with were worried, some were tickled by the idea: We can hold on to these people. It was just the opposite. I was really hard on myself to make sure I didn’t do something like that. It got to the point where I had to make sure I wasn’t too hard on the New York side because I found so much on the Texas side that I could really bring it back to life.

How did you decide to choose John Mayer?

It came straight out of my life. The times when I feel wonderful, and perhaps not feel as wonderful as I think, are when I am with my sweet friend John Mayer, talking about life in an enchanted place. John is a great friend and one of the smartest people I know.

How did you become friends?

Back in the day with our great mutual friend Bob Saget. We had accidentally put a John Mayer song in the background of a Christmas episode of “Office” without even thinking about it. It was linked to the scene because it wasn’t a separate audio track, and we couldn’t scan it. I called Bob, and said, “I know you two are friends with John Mayer. Can I call him?” and I did. John said, “Look, I’m a serious fan of ‘The Office.’ He gave me all these references and said, ‘So I know what you’re doing.’” Let me guess, it’s Michael Scott’s favorite song.” I said, “No, no, I promise. It’s just in the background of a karaoke party.” He said, “I’ll do it for Dandy.” So We made it Dundee He has given us the song. We’ve been friends since then.

Ashton Kutcher, who she worked with on “Punk’D,” plays a local music producer in Texas. Why did you think of him for this role?

People love Ashton, but they don’t necessarily know this genius side of Ashton. This is one of the great tech investors of the last 10 years. People know him as this charming leading man, but not that intellectual strength. I met him in his office, and instead of auditioning, I pointed to the board and said, “Tell me about this company.” He looked me in the eye, and I was going to invest all my money in this company. I thought, “Well that’s Quentin Sellers.” As much as Ben thinks he’s smart, he needs to meet someone he thinks is smarter than him. It must surprise him. Ashton Kutcher was the only person who could do those two things.

Is it true that you lived at Bob Odenkirk’s house while you were shooting?

Yes, I lived in Bob Odenkirk’s house. He was a hero turned mentor, and he has given me advice over the years. I was insecure because I’m a comedian doing something kind of dangerous. Who am I to do a movie called “Revenge”? Bob had just started “Better Call Saul,” so he knew better than anyone that any comedian could really get past that. I called Bob because I was going to Albuquerque for the principal photography. I knew he lived there to shoot Saul and said, “You can actually rent my house because I’m on hiatus.” So I rented his house and downloaded all the streaming apps to his TV. I came back to Los Angeles a few months later, played HBO Max, and there are two accounts – Novak and Odenkirk. And I’m like, did Bob get freelance? Is it only backpacking on my own? fair enough. I’m honored.

Have you ever looked to see what he’s watching?

This is a great point. Hopefully it’s the “college girls’ sex life”.

What did you learn from working with Quentin Tarantino on Inglourious Basterds?

Tarantino is the most talented director alive and also the most intuitive. It was so logical to me, the way he would envision something in his mind and then convey it clearly and casually. I can never come up with the things he has in mind, but I can take that as a lesson: Whatever you think of, there is a way to communicate it with clarity and inspiration. It was distracting, and as exciting as a life experience it was. I really had to balance that against focusing on the role.

In previous interviews, you have said that you regret that you did not appreciate the work in “The Office” as much as you should have done at the time. Has this realization changed your approach to future projects?

yes. in the group [for ‘Vengeance’]I made a decision that I will enjoy every day. Because I am a perfectionist. I’ll do my best no matter what, so I might as well enjoy it. And in fact, maybe I’ll do a better job of enjoying myself. This is definitely a Tarantino lesson. This guy is enjoying himself, but he won’t let a tire suffer. Filming is very limited and you are at the mercy of many factors of chance. Perhaps it’s easier to let yourself go, “All we get in 12 hours is all we get.”

Is it weird to think that “The Office” is making fun of a place where people are less aware because more jobs are becoming distant?

The “office” goes beyond office settings, which I only know because teens love “the office” so much and have never worked in an office..and probably never will work in an office. At the end of the day, it’s a way to explore characters, not office life.

Is there anything from today that you wish you could write about from Michael Scott’s perspective?

Well, everything. But it might be less funny. We live in less funny times. I don’t really want to see Michael go wrong with things because I love him so much and the stakes are too high.