Years after his scene-stealing turn on Insecure as Issa’s complicated love interest, Daniel, and his leading role as kingpin-turned-hero Dmitri Cimber in The First Purge, Y’lan Noel returns to the spotlight as the lead in Netflix’s hit series, Nemesis.
Created by Power mastermind Courtney A. Kemp, the series follows a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game between Noel’s meticulous master thief, Coltrane Wilder, and LAPD Detective Isaiah Stiles, played by Matthew Law.
Since its May 14 release, the crime drama has dominated Netflix’s charts, holding the No. 1 spot for two weeks and remaining firmly in the top five. With fans already calling for a second season, its momentum shows no signs of slowing.
Maintaining The Aura
“Coltrane is the most intelligent character I think I’ve played,” Noel told The Black Wall Street Times in a recent interview. “But he’s also the one who says the least. So finding ways to articulate thoughts without having the words — that was a nice acting challenge.”
“He can’t break down— he has to maintain this aura, this presence,” Noel explains. “A lot of people end up going by the wayside.”
As a real estate mogul, philanthropist, husband, and leader of a multi-man heist crew, Coltrane’s restraint is deliberate. He cannot afford to show doubt or grief. His vulnerability exists only in private, far from those who rely on him.
Some of the show’s most gripping moments unfold without dialogue, with Noel relying entirely on expression and presence.
“It’s like putting as much as you can gain in a book bag,” he says. “All the tools that you need for work. And then once the moment comes, you just pour the book bag out. It’s a combination of trust, certainty, and preparation — being able to not have words to express what a character is going through.”
Keeping The Tension On And Off The Screen
By the season’s climax, Coltrane and Isaiah finally collide, setting off a psychological battle fueled by revenge and survival. Isaiah is relentless in his pursuit of justice for his slain partner, while Coltrane fights to protect everything he has built.
That tension extended beyond the script.
“I didn’t speak to him,” Noel said, describing the deliberate distance he maintained from his co-star.
“I’m very much an amiable guy. I’m very into brotherhood and fraternalism — that’s my thing in real life,” Noel stated. “So I was really looking forward to being able to have that spirit of competition as the complete opposite. But I knew we couldn’t be too cool on set outside of the character. The only time I actually spoke to him was as Coltrane Wilder.”
With a laugh, he added, “We get to act for like three, four months of the year — might as well stay in character as much as you can.”
Trusting The Vision
Noel credits much of his performance to the creative environment fostered by Kemp.
“She is like a big sis,” Noel said. “That feeling of just being seen, being challenged, trusting them — and then feeling that extreme amount of joy when they trust you back. She has all of those qualities that just really allow people, including me, to do some of their best work. That trust element is big.”
That trust is reflected in the show’s writing, which leans into moral ambiguity and challenges viewers to reconsider traditional ideas of right and wrong.
“There’s no good people, there’s no bad people. It just depends who’s telling the story, when they’re telling the story, and who they’re telling it to. Courtney understands that. It’s about finding a human in every character. Even bad guys have moments where they’re family men, or they lift someone up. And that makes people engage and have conversations they otherwise wouldn’t — like, ‘Wait, who am I? Why am I rooting for this person?'”
People Love The Bad Guy
That moral complexity has resonated with audiences, particularly women viewers who have been vocal about their admiration for Coltrane despite his criminal double life.
“That’s not good for my mental health,” he says, laughing. “The more you feed into the flattering stuff, the more you have to — as a man of integrity — also give into the negative stuff. So I like to keep it at a neutral baseline.”
Tying Up Loose Ends
The season finale leaves plenty unresolved: a looming cartel threat, a fractured family, and a volatile standoff that raises more questions than answers.
Even Noel is curious about where the story could go next.
“I just want it to be like thirty minutes of camera on Coltrane’s shoes running — like Forrest Gump across the nation,” he laughs. Then, more seriously: “There’s so much uncertainty as to what the solution would be — how do these women pick up the pieces? Do you go three years from now, or literally from the next moment?”
While he may not have the answers, Noel is confident in Kemp’s vision and the audience’s investment. If the first season is any indication, whatever comes next, he will be ready.
Season 1 of Nemesis is streaming on Netflix.
WATCH OUR FULL INTERVIEW WITH Y’LAN NOEL BELOW!
Y’lan Noel by Martie Bowser