B.J. Novak

Cast

“I would put Pulp Fiction as maybe my favorite movie -- certainly the one that influenced me the most, and put me on the path that I went on. That’s to me, like, 'Wow.' I like different things about everything. That’s so much number one, though, that I might as well begin on that right away.”

Biography

B.J. Novak plays permanently apathetic temp Ryan so well on the hit comedy The Office, that you’d never guess he’s actually a producer of the show. The actor and comedian grew up near Boston in the suburb of Newton, and graduated from high school with his Office co-star John Krasinski. He then attended Harvard University, where he earned a degree in English and Spanish Literature, graduating in 2001. Novak worked in standup comedy and joined the show Punk’d in 2002, where he helped pull pranks on celebrities like Hilary Duff and Mya. In 2005, he joined the team of The Office as not only a cast member but also a producer and occasional writer. He also began making appearances in movies like Reign Over Me and Knocked Up. —allmovie guide