Actor-Turned-Director Lee Kirk on Directing Actors and the Making of 'Nimrods'

Writer-director Lee Kirk joins No Film School’s GG Hawkins to break down the making of Nimrods, his Green Day-inspired coming-of-age road movie. Kirk traces his path from studying acting at DePaul University to learning screenwriting and eventually directing, and explains how his acting background continues to shape the way he works with performers. He also discusses developing Nimrods with Billie Joe Armstrong, weaving real stories from Green Day into the screenplay, casting and rehearsing a young ensemble, building a collaborative crew, creating a timeless visual texture, embracing improvisation, and shooting a live Green Day concert with thousands of actual fans.

In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Lee Kirk discuss...

How Kirk’s acting training at DePaul University led him toward screenwriting and directing

Learning story structure through John Truby’s 22-step approach and The Anatomy of Story

How Chris Messina encouraged Kirk to direct his first feature, The Giant Mechanical Man

Why an acting background can help directors understand how to communicate with performers

How Billie Joe Armstrong approached Kirk with the initial premise for Nimrods

Reverse engineering a feature screenplay from a predetermined Green Day concert ending

Using real stories from Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool as inspiration for the screenplay

Drawing from movies like The Goonies, Vacation, Footloose, and Risky Business to establish the film’s tone

Making a contemporary movie feel nostalgic through vinyl, cassettes, camcorders, old cars, and other analog textures

What Kirk looks for when hiring department heads and why collaborative problem-solving matters