Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore,” “I Heart Huckabees”) tends to play average, low-key but lovable characters and in “Shopgirl,” he continues his repertoire with the character of Jeremy. Based on the bestselling novella by Steve Martin, “Shopgirl” tells the story of a very average, plain girl named Mirabelle. A smalltown girl from Vermont, she finds herself lost and lonely in a bustling Los Angeles. But after two chance encounters, she finds herself the desire of two very different men: a middle-aged rich man (Martin) and a rocker-type young man named Jeremy who spends his days selling guitar amps.

Schwartzman talks below about starring in the Steve Martin drama.

Q: When you’re playing Jeremy and he’s on the road trying to be a roadie, did you think of any bands other than your own?

JASON: Most definitely. Some of the bands I thought of were Guided by Voices, The Flaming Lips, Built to Spill, and the band formerly known as Pavement.

I was thinking specifically of Guided by Voices and Flaming Lips because the singers have a leader-like quality and are like mentors. They have this charm and they feel like they’re there to teach and instruct, and motivate and enlighten you. That’s what Jeremy needed so out of my mind, I thought about bands that had a rock and roll wisdom.

Q: Did you bring anything to your character even though you had Steve Martin on set, who wrote the book, and someone like Anand Tucker as the director?

JASON: It’s got to be a combination of all of those things. The book and the script is a great place to start. Steve Martin is such an exquisite and precise writer. Everything is so clear; it’s like a bell. He says what he means and says it so beautifully. He said earlier today that even when he tries to write a poetic sentence, he tries to write it clearly. And I understand that. So he really was a precise blueprint for Jeremy and I feel like Anand [contributed] to that blueprint, and I was a construction worker on the house. I think it’s a combination of all the things.

Q: Was it easy in that aspect to not make Jeremy too one-dimensional?

JASON: One thing Steve said when he wrote the book was that he didn’t want to lie, or contrive anything, or make anything convenient, like make the characters arrive here without logic. So a lot of the dots were so connected that Jeremy’s performance seemed pretty real. It’s hard to be a one-dimensional real human being. So it was all taken care of.

Q: Can you relate to Jeremy or Mirabelle when it comes to the dating game?

JASON: Well, the “dating game,” I don’t know the first real thing about the dating game. I don’t know how to talk to a specific person and connect. I just think you have to go to person by person and do the best you can with people in general. I don’t think anybody really “knows.” I mean, c’mon, let’s be honest. We’re all always trying to figure it out. We’re always trying to navigate through these strange waters so I do think [the movie] is accurate because these relationships, I feel like I’ve seen them. I’ve known people who’ve been in relationships like this, especially Mirabelle and Jeremy. Dating is just awkward moments and one person wants more than the other. It’s just that constant strangeness. I think it’s a very real thing.

Q: What about feelings of loneliness?

JASON: As far as loneliness, I feel Los Angeles and its layout, having to drive everywhere – it is a lonely place. It’s an isolated city in that respect because you’re driving to places alone listening to the radio. But it’s also my home and where I grew up and I love it. I like being alone and I think this movie, as much as it is an investigation of connection and people bonding, I also think it’s just as much about loneliness. I think it’s great in the movie where a lot of characters are alone in the scenes. A lot of the characters are by themselves almost as much as they are together. You can’t try to connect unless you’re alone sometimes.

Q: Jeremy has this sweet quality about him where he says whatever is on his mind. Are you like that at all?

JASON: Yeah. Sometimes, I say something and then I’m like, “Oh man, that was probably not the right thing to say.” The thing I definitely related to most in Jeremy was a sincere desire to be alive and meet people. He’s a pretty open-minded person. The great thing about him in the movie is that he’s not really a changed person by any means. But he’s open to change and takes it like a new life has just begun. That’s what Steve and I talked about – to not portray him as a cheesy dumb dude, but that life’s just begun.

"Shopgirl" opens in theaters October 21st.