Matthew Law Plays His Most Complex Character To Date In NEMESIS
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, just about everyone is streaming the new #1 tv series NEMESIS on Netflix. From hot cops to intriguing bad boys, this show has it all and Matthew Law is going at it with one of the smartest criminals in LA. Some call it his breakout role but Matthew has years in Hollywood that has lead him to this moment. Playing Detective Stiles, one of the most complex characters we’ve seen on the big screen, we sat down with Matthew Law to learn all about his new show.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
Many of us know you as O’Shon in Abbot Elementary but for those who’ve never heard of Matthew Law, how would you introduce yourself?
I’d definitely just say, “Hello, I’m Matthew Law, and what’s your name?” Or I’d extend my hand to dap them up and do that whole dance of finding out what kind of handshake person they are. Like, do they go straight in for the business shake, or can I relax and just give them the fist bump?
When you think about your roots in Yakima & Seattle Washington, what is your favorite memory?
What I cherish most are the people from these places who became my family. Some memories that come to mind are pow-wows on the rez in Yakama. I also remember how vivid the stars were, and my friend Edwin flying in and drop kicking a kid who was bullying me and trying to steal my marbles, and Lucas sweet & sour chamoy powder.
In Seattle, there are too many memories to list, but one that comes to mind is the perfect summers we would have: Mt. Tahoma (Rainier) looming over the city, my friends and I jumping off of the abandoned overpass into Lake Washington near the arboretum, riding our BMXs through the streets and being absolute idiots while laughing until our ribs hurt.
When did you first realize acting was a passion that you wanted to really pursue?
I think the first time I made my mom laugh and saw her worries wash away, I wanted to act. It’s always been a passion. Just one I kept secret since I didn’t know what the path to it would be. When I finally went to my first acting class in my early 20s, I got a glimpse of the craft that I wanted to pursue. Also, I think watching Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars as a kid made me want to do the job where I get to be a pirate or a space samurai.
You’ve done many roles over the years but being a detective in LA is your latest role in the Netflix series “NEMESIS”. How did you prepare for the role of Detective Isaiah Stiles?
There was the objective preparation and the subjective preparation. Objectively speaking, I researched and respected the practical requirements for achieving this man’s level of status and skills within the force. I also trained exhaustively with weapons and combat to ensure I felt as natural and free as possible, as he would.
Subjectively and subconsciously speaking, I had to embrace a role I struggled with as I’ve always had a contentious relationship with the police and the LAPD. I believe that mirrored Isaiah, who would have gone against everything in his family to join the police, so I developed a “why” for him that transcended the job. I also worked with my acting coach to explore the childhood wounds existing deep beneath the toughness and bravado, and worked out the lifetime of experiences that led to episode one.
Isaiah is a very complex character. From his father issues, struggles with balancing his career and family while being on the cusp of cracking the biggest case of his career. Why do you think he’s so tunnel vision on this case when everything around him seems to suffer in the meantime?
There’s been some cool discussion around the show that zeroes in on how Isaiah’s obsession with eliminating this foe is rooted in his own experience of his father being his oldest nemesis. He has a tilted version of the world in his mind, where if he can eliminate this enemy, all the suffering and trouble in his life will disappear with them.
We see Isaiah’s wife Dr. Candice Stiles go back and forth between your character and her ex who just happens to be the LA Assistant District Attorney. In your opinion, if Isaiah finds out about it, would that be enough for him to walk away from his marriage?
Oh man… Next question!
We see the impact of Isaiah’s father issues directly affect his relationship with his teenage son Noah, which puts him in extreme danger throughout the series. In Season 2, will the audience see his character develop more? What could his father do to make sure his son goes down the right path?
That’s such a crucial relationship that is clearly on the brink of disaster… Or maybe it has tipped way past the point of reconciliation. I mean, with what happens, I don’t know how you repair that. A new dynamic needs to develop between father and son and I just pray he hasn’t completely lost his son to the rage and violence.
Up until the very end of the season just about everyone in the LAPD thinks Detective Stiles is INSANE and delusional about his nemesis Coltrane Wilder. During this time, we really see the complexity of your character and his determination against all odds to prove everyone wrong. Where do you think Isaiah gets that intensity from?
He sort of is the summation of the phrase that the “mystic and the madman swim in the same waters”. He’s had to develop a solitary understanding of justice and has proven intuition based on how he’s solved cases in the past. As you can see by his clothes though, he walks his own path amidst the institutionalized formalities and protocols. With Coltrane, he’s met his match, and his obsessive, prophetic feelings of catching the bad guy light a fire that he doesn’t know how to put out.
I think the nemesises have more in common than not, and in an alternate universe would probably be homeboys. What are your thoughts on the similarities between Isaiah and Coltrane?
Yeaaaah I think if you rewound the clock and – I’ll just remind everyone here – eliminate the fact that Coltrane has killed innocent people, they probably would kick it and be the ultimate teammates. But there’s a real tragedy in seeing two people so far divided because of the actions in their lives.
Courtney A. Kemp who is most notably known for The Power Universe is also the co-creator of NEMESIS. We not only see Coltrane struggle with being bad and good, but Isaiah also dabbles in the dark side when he gets help from the cartel boss. Talk to us about how both Isaiah and Coltrane will do just about anything to get what they want.
Courtney, Tani Marole and the whole writing team just know how to make the kind of TV that keeps you glued to the screen. We see these characters make desperate decisions that none of us want them to make, but we can understand where they’re coming from. We watch these two men who feel invincible and flawless in their chess moves at the beginning of the season, and as it progresses, we do see how pride comes before the fall.
Episode 8 leaves us with our mouths open and shocked that it is the end of the season. Without saying too much, when can we expect to see what happens next and what can we expect from Isaiah next?
We leave him as his whole world is crashing down. The bad guy who murdered his father gets away. His son is bleeding out. His wife is… Yeah. So… Either some intense therapy, or he goes even harder to try and catch Coltrane.
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa
Writer: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Jonny Marlow (@jonnymarlow)
Wardrobe Stylist: Chloe Takayanagi (@chloekeiko)
Grooming: KT Chandler (@kt_chandler)
