Y’lan Noel portrays Ferdie in Lady in the Lake, which is based on the 2019 novel by Laura Lippman. The seven-part limited series will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, July 19.

When the disappearance of a young girl grips the city of Baltimore on Thanksgiving 1966, the lives of two women converge on a fatal collision course. Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman) is a Jewish housewife seeking to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist, and Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram) is a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family. Their disparate lives seem parallel at first, but when Maddie becomes fixated on Cleo’s mystifying death, a chasm opens that puts everyone around them in danger. From visionary director Alma Har’el, “Lady in the Lake” emerges as a feverish noir thriller and an unexpected tale of the price women pay for their dreams.

I had the opportunity to ask the actor about the fun of working on a period piece, his favorite filming memory, what he’s most excited for fans to experience with the show, joining the Call of Duty franchise, and more. Keep reading for everything he shared!

When you originally read the script for Lady in the Lake, what was the first thing that stood out to you and why did you want to get involved?
Y’lan Noel: Well, I wanted to be involved first and foremost because of how much a fan of Alma Ha’rel’s I was — as an artist and as a person. A few years ago, I had an opportunity to work with her that ended up not coming to fruition but what it did do was put me on her radar. I’ve remained a big fan all this time so when LITL came through years later I was ready and thankfully, it turned out that the script and role was one that I could put my teeth into. I enjoy the challenge of humanizing characters that are misunderstood and with Ferdie being somewhat of a pariah to both his community and his fellow officers, I knew it would force me to have to dig deep.

Did you enjoy doing a period piece set in 1966? Is there another time period you would like to explore in a future project?
I sure did. As an actor, we get to travel through space and time for work and I’d never been to the 60’s, so to drive the cars, dress, talk, and listen to the music reflecting the time period was transformative because I’ve never traveled there before as an actor. Our set designer and all the other department heads really made sure we were immersed into the time period and that made it hard to forget that we are actors at play when I showed up for work every day. That this isn’t real and that we are getting to play make-believe… as adults! It’s a wonderful reminder that I’m always grateful for.

As far as a time period I’d like to explore, man… I’ll go to any time period for a character I love but if I had to choose — I’d go to a time period where human beings as a collective were more in touch with our intrinsic power and the natural world. So either way, way back in time of the ancient civilizations or skip a couple hundred years into a utopian future.

What can you tell me about the relationship between you and Natalie Portman’s characters? What was it like to work with her on that dynamic?
Our characters find peace and varying degrees of freedom in one another that they are both very much in need of at the time they meet. They are also inspired by each other’s agency and determination to transcend their current status. As far as working with Natalie, it was a dream come true. She is a legend in this game, so as someone who is always looking to take his ability and awareness as an actor to another level, I felt like I struck gold being able to work so closely with her. Here I am one-on-one with one of the greats figuring out how to make scene after scene sing off the page. Dream come true I tell ya. She also set an incredible example to pull from when I’m a legend and some actor equally excited and nervous as I was gets to work with me! Ha!

What important conversations do you hope are inspired by the discrimination Ferdie faces?
I think the most important thing is to always hold on to your truth and stand on what you believe to be right. Ferdie found himself relentlessly pursuing honor at work and love in his heart for which there are always consequences, but in life you have to maintain your integrity and let the pieces fall as they may. Therein lies the potential for a fulfilling life with little to no room for regret when it’s said and done.

What did you consider to be the biggest challenge when it came to this role and the project overall?
My character plays a sizeable role in the lives of both of our female leads and knowing that both of them were going to bring everything they have to their performances, I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t drop the ball. My character’s storyline goes to places where neither of them are on-screen and I just wanted to keep the story ball in the air, so to speak. Other than that, a unique challenge was walking around with what I can only describe as Civil War sideburns for seven months in my regular life outside of work, like Black Wolverine without the beard part in downtown Baltimore. Strangers were very confused.

What is your favorite behind-the-scenes memory from filming?
My actual birthday fell on a day we shot a scene where my character attends a funeral. It was a long scene with rotating groups of background supporting actors and once everyone found out it was my birthday, I ended up in the middle of the biggest circle I’ve ever been in, being sung to by tons of strangers dressed in blacked out funeral garb. When a different rotating group would come back from lunch, someone new would decide to be thoughtful and surprise me with the Happy Birthday song that unbeknownst to them had already been sung and inevitably the rest of the group would end up joining in. It was great… it was scary… it happened three times… and there is video proof of me trying to enjoy every moment of it.

What are you most excited for fans to see regarding your work and the story?
I’m excited for fans to see a beautifully shot and acted murder mystery that refuses to be placed into any particular genre in a place and time that I’ve yet to see on screen. I’m excited for them to be introduced to Alma’s artistry, unique vision, and immense capacity for storytelling. As far as my own work, I’m excited to see what people think of the sideburns — no… I’m excited for fans to see me play ball with one of my personal favorites, Natalie Portman. Very proud of having been able to keep that ball in the air.

Is there any specific message that you took away from the series?
Love hard, follow your dreams, and accept whatever comes with that.

Can you share how it felt when you heard the news that you would be the voice star of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6? It is such a huge accomplishment, especially since you’re playing a new character and have never worked in gaming before.
54 million views of the reveal trailer in only three days! A trailer that my character is voicing. It’s insane. I spent the lifespan of a 1720’s human amount of time playing video games when I was younger, so fast forwarding to being the lead character in one of the top three largest gaming franchises in history is wild. I knew COD was a big deal, but it’s much different on this side. I’m humbled! Biggest fans in the world.