(L to R) Ashton Kutcher as Quentin Sellers and B.J. Novak as Ben Manalowitz in VENGEANCE, written and directed by B.J. Novak and released by Focus Features.

Actor and filmmaker B.J. Novak (The Office) was eager to talk about his first trip to The Alamo when he made a stop in San Antonio last week to promote his new dark comedy, Vengeance. The first-time feature screenwriter and director said he was given a private tour of the historic mission and got the chance to hold some extraordinary artifacts.

“I went into this room, and the tour guide made me put on these special gloves,” Novak, 42, told MySA during an exclusive interview last week at the Santikos Palladium Theater. “Then, he gave me a sword and told me it belonged to General Santa Anna. I was like, ‘Whoa.’ It was very exciting.”

In Vengeance, Novak’s enthusiasm for Texas is evident. He plays Ben Manalowitz, a journalist from New York City who makes a trip to an unnamed town in West Texas to attend the funeral of Abilene Shaw (Lio Tipton), a young woman he once dated. While there, Ben decides to produce a podcast when Abilene’s family tells him that they don’t believe she died of a drug overdose. Instead, they think she was murdered. This leads Ben deep down an armadillo hole of unexpected possibilities for his podcast.

Novak, too, felt that unexpectedness when he started production on the film. Texas was not a place he knew much about. In fact, he admits he was “really intimidated” by the state. He wanted to write a character who was “a little judgmental” at first but then becomes intrigued with the people he meets.

(L to R) Clint Obenchain as Crawl, B.J. Novak as Ben Manalowitz and Boyd Holbrook as Ty Shaw in VENGEANCE, directed and written by B.J. Novak, released by Focus Features.

“Texas is such a mythical place,” Novak said. “I thought it would be great for my character to explore the truth in the mythology, especially at a time in America when everyone is inventing their own narratives about themselves and about other things. That contrast between the myth and the reality is more dynamic in Texas than anywhere else.”

Although Novak never mentions the name of the fictional West Texas town where his movie is set, he said “it’s basically Pecos, Texas,” which is about an hour southwest of the Odessa-Midland area. The beneficial tax incentives offered by New Mexico ultimately took the production of the film there, but Novak still did his research by going on a few road trips with friends through the state. This included places like Billy Bob’s Texas, the world-famous honkytonk in Fort Worth, and Alpine, where they caught a few Peewee league football games.

(L to R) B.J. Novak as Ben Manalowitz and Boyd Holbrook as Ty Shaw in VENGEANCE, written and directed by B.J. Novak and released by Focus Features. 

“We also went to Marfa like every hipster cliché, and I, of course, loved it,” Novak said. “I think to everyone outside of Texas, Texas is scary. Big guns, big trucks, big attitude. But what I found here is that Texas is more welcoming than anywhere I've been. There’s nothing like Texan hospitality and friendliness. That really caught me off guard.”

As for writing and directing a feature film for the first time, Novak said it was something he’s always wanted to do, even before he became an actor. The first time he saw Pulp Fiction at the movie theater, he thought being as “cool” as Quentin Tarantino was a career goal he wanted to pursue. Later, Novak would star in Tarantino’s WWII epic Inglourious Basterds as a member of an elite squad of soldiers hunting down Nazis.

(L to R) Boyd Holbrook as Ty Shaw and B.J. Novak as Ben Manalowitz in VENGEANCE, written and directed by B.J. Novak and released by Focus Features. 

“It was like wanting to be a fireman when you're seven,” Novak said. “You see Pulp Fiction and you want to be Tarantino. I think one of his great gifts is his ability to get everyone excited about his vision. That’s what I tried to do directing Vengeance.”

Vengeance premieres at local theaters Friday, July 29.

B.J. Novak as Ben Manalowitz in VENGEANCE, written and directed by B.J. Novak and released by Focus Features.