“Nemesis” star Y'lan Noel talks season 1 cliffhanger and why he originally wanted to play Stiles
“Nemesis” star Y'lan Noel talks season 1 cliffhanger and why he originally wanted to play Stiles
Derek LawrenceWed, June 3, 2026 at 8:12 PM UTC
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Y'lan Noel in 'Nemesis'Credit: Saeed Adyani/NetflixKey Points -
Y'lan Noel is talking all things Nemesis season 1.
The Insecure alum admits that he was initially drawn to the role of Det. Isaiah Stiles before eventually falling in love with criminal mastermind Coltrane Wilder.
Noel was insistent that he take part in the Netflix hit's epic shootout.
This article contains spoilers about season 1 of Nemesis.
Y'lan Noel is so calm and smooth as master thief Coltrane Wilder in Netflix's Nemesis that you'd assume he always felt a calling to the role. As it turns out, he was first drawn to the cop that was chasing his robber.
"I liked how expressive the character was," the Insecure alum tells Entertainment Weekly of Det. Isaiah Stiles, eventually played by Abbott Elementary's Matthew Law. "Coltrane expresses through his actions or thoughts; it's a lot of internal things. And I was more excited about being able to say the cool things, whereas Coltrane does all the cool things.... I fell in love with [Coltrane] once I started learning about what moves him, why he's in this life."
Hailing from Power creator Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole, Nemesis is a Heat-inspired crime drama that follows Wilder, the leader of a highly-trained heist crew, and Stiles, the determined LAPD officer on their trail. Over eight episodes, an explosive and violent high-stakes game of cat and mouse unfolds.
The battle between Wilder and Stiles becomes more and more personal as the first season goes on, with Wilder recruiting Stiles' father Amos (Moe Irvin) for a robbery, only to then kill him to protect his identity. But the police soon learn that the respected businessman is the criminal that Stiles has long suspected Wilder to be. After Wilder frees his wife, Ebony (Cleopatra Coleman), from custody, he is cornered by Stiles and Stiles' son Noah (Cedric Joe), who wants revenge for his grandfather's death. When a cartel member trying to kill Wilder instead injures Noah, Wilder orders Stiles to allow him to flee or he'll let Noah bleed out. Stiles relents, and before Wilder runs off, he declares, "Stiles, you were never going to win."
Y'lan Noel at special screening of 'Nemesis'Credit: Brianna Bryson/WireImage
Released last month, Nemesis was the No. 1 show on Netflix for weeks, and while a second season hasn't officially been announced, it feels like a formality at this point. With all the episodes now streaming, EW chatted with Noel about looking to The Godfather for inspiration and finding Heat-like energy with the Al Pacino to his Robert De Niro.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What's its been like soaking in the reaction and success to the show so far?
Y'LAN NOEL: The most exciting thing is that people are consuming it with such ferocity. Because that just means that we made a really fun and entertaining show. I always looked at it as a summer blockbuster, because it keeps you on the edge of the seat and allows you to escape from whatever you're experiencing in the day.
What is your Nemesis origin story? Were you instantly all-in on pursuing the show and Coltrane, or was there a moment where you were looking at both lead roles?
I read the script, and immediately I was like, "Oh, this seems really fun. But, if I was to do this, who would I wanna be? " And originally, to be honest, my instincts were the cop, because I liked how expressive the character was. Coltrane expresses through his actions or thoughts; it's a lot of internal things. And I was more excited about being able to say the cool things, whereas Coltrane does all the cool things. I didn't see the bigger picture in regards to that character. So Stiles was my first read, but I made a tape for both, just in case.
It wasn't until casting brought me back in for Coltrane over Stiles that I was like, "All right, let me tap more into Coltrane and really see what he's about." I fell in love with the character once I started learning about what moves him, why he's in this life. The creators would always talk about how Coltrane implodes, whereas Styles explodes, and I was originally wanting to explode as an actor, but it was time for me to play a character that was bit more internal.
Courtney said that you showed up to your audition with her and knew exactly how you were going to play Coltrane and had built him from the ground up, whether it be his voice or mannerisms. What was your process for making those decisions?
A lot of it was instinct. If I could take credit for anything, it was just listening. I think the character was telling me that it wanted to be felt and not seen. So, for me, it was just becoming more comfortable with myself. I was dealing with somebody who has a very certain aura about himself, so it was good practice as Y'lan to walk around just being like, yeah, here I am. He needed to come across like he knew what he was doing, even when he didn't know what he was doing. Because for so many people in his life, he is the fulcrum, he is the leader. When it comes to his crew, his wife, his business, he is the person that people look to — he's the eye of the storm. So when I walked into the room, Courtney experienced somebody where less is more.
To your credit, I was Team Wilder here, and that's impressive to pull off when you're taking a character who we know has done some bad things, including killing Stiles' partner. Knowing there's a long lineage of film thieves and criminals that we loved, did you have any specific inspirations?
Michael Corleone [Al Pacino], just because of how much he has to communicate without talking. He's figuring out what does it mean to be the Godfather, and he comes from the lineage, but he never thought that he would have this situation handed to him. So just seeing him have to figure it out on his own through his internal thought process. Like in the dinner scene where he ends up having to kill the cop, all of that happens in his head. I was stealing from that performance because it was very much the implosion thing that we spoke about, and seeing what the character was thinking was the only way into this. Coltrane has to take on that burden of whatever he's feeling by himself; the most telling parts of the character is when you see him alone. There was also a bit of Tommy Shelby [Cillian Murphy] from Peaky Blinders, because that's another character who is poised, even when he's going through the maximum.
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How different was the energy when you first tested for the role opposite Matthew as Stiles?
Matthew was very ready to fight, and that's very necessary for these characters. When he came in the room at Stiles, he did exactly what Stiles would do to Coltrane. Coltrane is used to winning and not being contested in that way, and in the room as Coltrane, I was like, wait a second, he has the audacity to try to win against me? I was responding in a way that was excited, because, now with Matthew, I was able to dance, and the process of having to one-up him became very palpable.
In episode 3, we get our first official Stiles and Coltrane meeting, and this is basically Nemesis' version of the Heat diner scene. If this head-to-head doesn't work, then the show is in trouble. Could you feel a sense of pressure in needing to ensure that your dynamic really popped there?
I was definitely excited because I loved the writing of it. That was the audition scene where I first met Matthew, so I had an initial impression of how I would move, the rhythm of it. So we knew it had that snap, crackle, and pop that it needs, but it wasn't until months later that we actually shot it. I now understand so much more about the character, as does Matthew. And also we weren't talking, because we only get a few scenes together. I'm hearing how he's doing good work, and I'm like, okay, cool, this spirit of competition is there. So when we get to the day, we haven't been speaking, we're obviously teammates and very respectable of each other, but I haven't seen much of him, and so, in that scene, you're witnessing us speaking together for the first time and our nervous systems figuring out how to deal with that, which I thought they captured well.
Matthew Law and Y'lan Noel in 'Nemesis'Credit: Saeed Adyani/Netflix
You referred to Nemesis as a summer blockbuster, and the most blockbuster sequence was the shootout in the streets of Los Angeles that opens episode 6. Living in Los Angeles, you watch that and can tell that you guys are truly out there in Century City shooting this for real. How much of that action were you able to take part in?
That was all us; we were vehement about it being us the entire time. We'd spent so much time in weapons training that, even if we were gonna be masked up, you shut down Century City for the weekend, it has to be part of my story that I'm underneath that mask. So every shot that you see of the character is 100 percent me. And it's just a dream come true, to be able to be a big kid and run around and play cops and robbers. I've watched the whole season once through, but I saw that particular scene probably like 15 scenes.
What was your reaction to learning how season 1 would conclude? Were you ever worried that Coltrane would end up in handcuffs?
I wasn't worried because I feel like I'm in good hands with Courtney and Tani. Also, as the actor, my only responsibility is to figure out and find solutions. I'm always justifying things in my head, so if it meant him being caught up a little bit, it's like, cool, maybe that's fun to play too. But I was excited when we see him on the run. I don't know how they're gonna figure that out, but there's more room for the unknown and uncertainty with the way that it ended, which is always a good place to be on a TV show.
You showed off some Tom Cruise-level running skills in that final moment.
My man! I'm flattered by that. They didn't think I could do that at first. I was like, "Trust me, I got you, this is what I do." I had track scholarships and was part of this thing called the Cobb School of Champions in Atlanta, Georgia, putting up really great numbers in the 100 and 200-meter dash in high school. And I genuinely come from a lineage of Olympians. So I was like, I gotta represent for my people. So I made sure to run for a week or two before, and fortunately it turned out really well. I'm glad that I was able to use that skill and talent somewhere.
Y'lan Noel in 'Nemesis'Credit: Saeed Adyani/Netflix
In that last scene, Coltrane tells Stiles to either let him go or he will let Noah bleed out. Given that Coltrane knows what it's like to lose a child, do you believe that he was willing to essentially kill Noah?
I want to say no, but these guys are obsessed and willing to do anything to win, so I wouldn't put it past him. I mean, he doesn't want anyone to die. The interesting thing about Tani and Courtney's curiosity is they're trying to figure out: What makes these bad men good, and what makes good men bad? Coltrane appreciates life, but him letting Noah bleed out, he'd only do it if it meant that he would survive. So it would be unfortunate. He did unalive Stiles' father for the sake of winning, and justified it as cutting loose ends, but it's also a checkmate to Stiles. There's another level to these types of characters in terms of what they're willing to do in order to win, and their obsession is winning. So it'd be something that I think he could potentially regret, but would he do it? Absolutely.
Nemesis is streaming now on Netflix.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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