‘The Last of Us’ Star Bella Ramsey Understood Their Character Right Away: ‘Ellie Came Very Naturally for Me’
thewrap.comThis story about Bella Ramsey and “The Last of Us” first appeared in The Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.Bella Ramsey grew up while filming HBO’s hit freshman series “The Last of Us.” Literally.“We spent a year out there in Calgary,” Ramsey said. “We adopted a dog over there.
It was the best year of my life, it really was. I turned 18 when I was over there and did absolutely nothing for my 18th birthday.” They paused, then added, “The day before, I stabbed an infected in the basement.
That was my last day of being a child.”It was a fitting milestone for the British actor, thrust into the spotlight with their star turn in the series after breaking through in a small yet iconic role as the young, resolute Lyanna Mormont in “Game of Thrones.” In “The Last of Us,” Ramsey plays Ellie, a teenager immune to the rampant fungal infection that wiped out most of the world’s population, turning the diseased into zombie-esque creatures with a penchant for destruction.This sudden scrutiny of stardom has, unsurprisingly, taken some adjustment for the now 19-year- old. “There’s definitely a pressure and I felt that massively, especially when my casting got announced and there was a very mixed reaction,” Ramsey said. “Most of the stuff I saw wasn’t great and I was already reckoning with, ‘Did they pick the wrong person?’ I felt that pressure all the way through shooting.
But now it’s come out and everyone’s happy and I’m happy.”And while the burden of expectations has been relieved by the warm reception for the series, the success has intensified the public’s interest in the actor, who identifies as nonbinary.
Read more on thewrap.com