Tribeca Film Festival 2021: Pop Culturalist Chats with Creation Stories’ Nick Moran

Nick Moran has captivated British television and the West End stage for over a decade before making the transition to film with his leading role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It was one of the most successful domestic movies in British cinema and established Nick as a household name.

In 2018, he made his directorial debut with Telstar. The film was adapted from his revered West End stage play about iconic ’60s record producer Joe Meek. Not only was the project critically acclaimed, but it was also the reason why he was the top choice to direct Creation Stories.

Adapted from Alan McGee’s autobiography, Creation Stories tells the unforgettable tale of infamous Creation Records label head.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Nick about Creation Stories ahead of its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival.

PC: What attracted you to Creation Stories?
Nick: I’ve said this in the past but what attracts you to a script the most is when you’re asked to direct it. That was the first thing that attracted me to it. I was one of the leads in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which was a huge success in the UK. It was the biggest film over there. It came at the same time as the whole Britpop, Cool Britannia explosion. I was in the same room as Noel and Liam [Gallagher] at various parties, events, and premieres.

I was very much involved in that. I was on the same surfboard as all of those guys when we had that Cool Britannia moment. I was the guy from Lock, Stock and these were the guys from Oasis. We were all in the same cultural wave.

So it was very easy for me to see how the film should be done and done right. But also, my first film, Telstar, was a real critical success here. It’s about an iconic ’60s record producer. Irvine Welsh was a massive fan of Telstar. He wrote this script and had also written Trainspotting. He was like, “You’ve got to get Nick. You’ve got to see Telstar. Alan McGee has to see Telstar. This is the guy that should make the film.”

That’s what brought them to me—my first film, Telstar. What cemented it was the fact I knew all these guys, all these songs, and all the cultural references. It was a very, very good fit.

PC: Everybody that’s been involved with the project has been really open about the fact that there were times that you didn’t know if this film was going to be made. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey with the film?
Nick: We had the financing, then we lost the financing. But it all worked out for the best. In desperation, I reached out to Danny Boyle, who I knew. I said, “Danny, can you help?” He said, “Okay, I’ll be an executive producer.” That steadied the ship. The people that were investing knew that we had Danny Boyle on board. It meant that we had this Yoda as a consultant and that brought everything together. You need someone like that. He didn’t interfere with anything I was doing. He was really, really respectful and reverential. He only came down to set once or twice. He would call me a couple of times and send me these very long and detailed emails. But we needed someone like Danny in the middle to hold it down. Every time you get an investor and they go away, someone else has to come in. But once we got Danny on board…God knows how many Oscars he has. You love to have his name on it.

PC: You’re an actor yourself. How has your experience in front of the camera benefited you as you sit in the director’s chair?
Nick: I hate people that direct themselves in movies. You’re either an egomaniac or you have another agenda. It’s not something that normally appeals to me. Half of the people that do that have done it well. [laughs] I don’t pretend to possess the talent to do both those jobs.

Acting is all about being relaxed and in control. Directing is exactly the opposite. You’re at war with time. You’re on edge. You’re fraught. The only reason I ended up in this movie is because we had planned to get a bigger name to do that Malcolm McLaren cameo. It was an important role, but no one was available.

In the end, it was like, “Why don’t you do it? You’re more famous than the other guys that we’re looking at. So, I put the wig on, the plastic nose, and did the scene first thing in the morning. Then I carried on filming the rest of the day in a rather ridiculous outfit. [laughs]

I did spend a lot of time with Malcolm. I knew him quite well. I had a couple of dinner dates with him. He was a fantastic character. So I knew how he behaved, but it was a fluke. I didn’t intend on being in the movie.

The way I look at it with me as a director is I’m on the bench. I’m a seat-warmer. If ever an actor doesn’t turn up, I can always put the costume on and get up and act. That’s simply what it was. On that particular day, there was no one else in the dressing room. I put the suit on and got up and acted.

It almost didn’t happen. Right up until three days before, someone else was going to play Malcolm. I was very nearly Tony Blair. We managed to find an actor that could do Tony Blair. But I would have done it if I needed to. I could have been Noel Gallagher if I needed to. It was literally anybody that didn’t turn up, I would have done that role. It just happened to be that part.

I thought I gave a reasonably good performance. Put it this way: the film didn’t take a massive turn south when I came on screen. [laughs] I managed to keep things moving along, but I don’t think it’s going to end up on my reel as an actor. It’s not something where I’m going to be like, “Oh look, and then I did this.”

There are other things that I’ve completely immersed myself in as an actor—when I’ve carried a movie or starred in a movie that I’m really proud of. I was just glad that I was just as good as the other guys that I directed in the film. I didn’t let the side down. But I wasn’t trying to be in it. It was just a case of no one else turning up.

PC: Speaking of the other actors, Ewen [Bremner] really transformed into Alan. Can you tell us about collaborating with him?
Nick: Ewen and I have known each other for a very long time. I saw Ewen in Trainspotting (Trainspotting was a play before it was a film). He was also in Rent. Ewen was the lead in Trainspotting when I saw it in a theater above a pub in London in Shepherd’s Bush. It was the best bit of acting I’ve ever seen. He was spectacularly good. We spoke afterwards.

My relationship with Ewen goes back twenty or twenty-five years. I’ve seen him be an amazing lead in a play and then become this very revered, talented supporting actor in other movies. But I’ve always known he’s a leading man because I’d seen him be the lead in one of the best plays I’ve ever seen. He was extraordinary in it. I have tremendous respect for him and know what he can do. I just wanted to give him the opportunity to do what I’ve always known he’s capable of doing. I’m so glad that people are starting to respect and understand how talented he is because he’s fantastic.

Creation Stories premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 16.

Photo Credit: Burning Wheel Productions