B.J. Novak paddleboards on his days off

B.J. Novak goes paddleboarding on his days off.

The 42-year-old actor-and-director - who has just made his big-screen directional debut with the dark-comedy 'Vengeance' - has revealed the way he likes to relax when he's not in the writing room or on set, and revealed a scary encounter with a shark whilst boarding.

Asked what his perfect day off consists of, he told People magazine: "Paddleboarding with my family on the bay.

"To me it's like taking a walk on the ocean.

"I did go too deep at one point, and a shark went right by me.

"I kind of didn't believe it, like, 'I don't know what that f****** grey triangle was.'

"And I fall all the time. My mom yelled at me."

Novak stars as Ben Manalowitz, "a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with."

The cast boasts Boyd Holbrook, Dove Cameron, Issa Rae, and Ashton Kutcher.

Meanwhile, Novak recently admitted having being a Harvard graduate on his CV is "the worst thing to have" on a comedy CV.

The 'Office' star said: “I don’t like talking about it. I will, but I don’t like to.

“It’s the worst thing to have on a comedy resume, the worst.

“Comedy is an underdog profession. You’re speaking up for the underdog. You’re saying what isn’t said by the people in charge. But [Harvard] makes people think you’re in a different category. Or that you think you are.”

However, his remark caused a backlash on social media.