Roger Avary

Who is Roger Avary?

Roger Avary is a director, producer, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter known for “Pulp Fiction,” which he co-wrote with Quentin Tarantino, as well as “The Rules of Attraction” and “Killing Zoe.” He is the co-host, along with Tarantino, of “The Video Archives Podcast.”

TLDR — Key Topics and Moments

• 01Roger Avary discusses his journey from video store clerk to Oscar-winning screenwriter on Pulp Fiction with Tarantino
• 02The creative process behind writing Pulp Fiction and how collaboration with Tarantino shaped the final script
• 03Avary's other directorial works including The Rules of Attraction and Killing Zoe, and their impact on cinema
• 04The Video Archives Podcast with Tarantino and how they analyze classic films and cinema history
• 05Avary's thoughts on modern filmmaking versus the golden age of cinema they grew up with
• 06Personal stories from working in the original Video Archives store and discovering obscure films that influenced their careers

The Show

Roger Avary sits down with Joe to talk about one of the most fascinating careers in modern cinema. The guy went from working at a video rental store to co-writing one of the most influential movies ever made. That's not hyperbole. Pulp Fiction changed everything, and Avary's fingerprints are all over that script. He and Tarantino basically invented a new language for how dialogue could work in movies. It wasn't just what people said, it was how they said it, the rhythm, the tangents that didn't seem to go anywhere but somehow did.

What's really interesting is how Avary describes the creative partnership with Tarantino. These guys were basically film nerds who worked at a video store together, watched everything, argued about movies constantly, and then decided to make one themselves. The collaboration was intense but productive. They would write scenes, argue about every line, and somehow come out the other side with something genius. Avary emphasizes that it wasn't always easy, but that friction created something special. The script they wrote became a blueprint for how indie filmmaking could work in the 1990s.

Beyond Pulp Fiction, Avary has had his own substantial career as a director. The Rules of Attraction showed he understood character and voice in ways that were distinctly his own. Killing Zoe was a wild, kinetic film that proved he could handle action and style. These weren't just films riding on his Pulp Fiction success, they were genuine creative statements. He talks about the challenge of stepping into the director's chair and how different it is from writing. You have to make a thousand decisions a day as a director, and not all of them are obvious calls.

The Video Archives Podcast is a big part of what Avary is doing now with Tarantino. It's essentially two film nerds doing what they've always done, which is talking about movies. They pick films, analyze them, discuss technique, acting, direction, all of it. It's the kind of thing that would have happened in that video store anyway, just now it's recorded and millions of people can listen. There's something pure about that format. No pretense, just genuine cinephiles having conversations about cinema.

Avary brings up how different the landscape is now. Making movies is technically easier, but in some ways harder because there's so much noise. Back then, you had to really hunt for films, educate yourself, dig through the bins at the video store. That process of discovery shaped how filmmakers thought about their craft. Now everything is available instantly, which is great, but maybe something gets lost in that ease of access. The hunger isn't quite the same.

Key Moments

Best Quotes

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