B.J. Novak

B.J Novak: (on a public service announcement) People may tease you for being short, even though you're 5' 9" Well let me tell you something, 5' 9" isn't short. Neither is 5'8 – ¾. It's average. It's not tall, but it's not short, either. It's average. Check your almanac.

B.J Novak: (on the relationship between his character and Kelly on The Office) The bad news is that that's what a lot of people have actually experienced, something that just doesn't work on any level, and they just keep going for some weird reason.

B.J. Novak: (on the worst job he ever had) John Krasinski and I both worked at Cafe Lampara in Newton the summer after our senior year in high school. He worked the takeout counter and I was a line cook. I didn't speak any Portuguese and he didn't need to. He got to interact with people he could have conversations with. I just learned a lot of Brazilian curse words.

B.J. Novak: (on working on The Office with former high school mate John Krasinski) Total coincidence. I mean, whenever I really stop and think about it, it's just so crazy I stop thinking. But no, we were friends for, I don't even know how long. And our first collaboration was actually eerily similar to this: our senior year in high school, I wrote, with a few other people, the senior class show, and cast John in the lead, and so John was the star of our show, and I was the writer who had a small comic part. And now eight years later,nine years later, and it's the exact same thing.

B.J.: (on landing his role on "The Office") [Executive Producer] Greg Daniels saw me do stand-up. This is probably over two years ago now, because the pilot was so long ago. And he called me in for a meeting with him; he thought I would be good for this small role that he was considering putting in, of the temp. He also knew that I had been a writer, and was interested in trying out writer/performers for the show, and was willing to read some of my writing samples. We talked for over an hour -- it was the most exciting meeting I had ever had -- about the British Office and his theories of comedy, and he drew me these Venn diagrams explaining his theory of television comedy, and it was so exciting for me. I mean, he's this genius in his little-- not 'little'; in his palatial King of The Hill office. It was just so intellectually stimulating and inspiring; it was all I wanted to do. So I was discovered first, I guess, as an actor, by about fifteen minutes. And I had other things I could have done -- I'd just been on Punk'd as an actor -- and all I wanted to do was this show that everyone thought was such a terrible idea to remake, and Steve Carell wasn't involved, and it was not something anyone considered a good bet, but I knew exactly what Greg wanted to do, and I so wanted to work with him; I knew exactly who he was when I got called to meet him. So that's kind of a chock-filled anecdote of an answer. You can make several answers with that question.

B.J. Novak: To say that I acted opposite Hilary Duff is probably misleading. I acted at Hilary Duff. I acted upon Hilary Duff, perhaps.

B.J. Novak: iPod helped make this show. That's how people in my age group watch television. It's not really about what was on last night. It's what they recorded. It's what they downloaded. My best friend is in Japan and he IM's me after he sees every episode. He downloads them the minute after they air and then IM's me. That I would do a TV show in Hollywood and my friend in Japan, would tell me within the hour what he thought is exciting.

B.J. Novak: Steve Carell is such a non-tech person. He actually communicates with people. He actually asks people how they're doing and makes friends and learns names and makes small talk while the rest of us retreat into our own little worlds in between each take. Steve is the only true gentleman on the set. Steve is old-fashioned, and it works.

B.J. Novak: I'm addicted to my BlackBerry. I get made fun of a lot in the writer's room for being on it constantly. I'm a writer for the show too, so that's where I spend a lot of my time. But Rainn Wilson makes fun of me a lot. Rainn makes fun of me for never talking to anyone, for just always being connected somehow. I pick up my phone after every take, and then I log onto e-mail at the same time and I'm on IM at the same time. Just today Rainn and I texted each other back and forth - 'How is it going?' - while we were sitting next to each other, 'cause he has that running joke with me.

B.J. Novak: I talk back to my computer, but I always know it's really my fault. I say, 'Dammit!' But I say it in a very soft whine. It's sort of a, 'We're both at fault here, computer. You're a bit mean. And I'm a bit of an idiot. Let's figure this out together.' That's what I mean my 'dammit' to sound like.

B.J. Novak: I complain a lot. I always think everything is broken as soon as I get it, and I talk about how overrated it is and how much the company stinks. And then someone shows me how to [use] it, and then I'm in love with it. It's my curve with every gadget.