Let’s get this out of the way right now - Bella Ramsey is the perfect person to play Ellie in The Last of Us. I don’t know how anyone could think that the actor has done anything but a perfect job in the role so far - their performances have been as fierce as they’ve been heartbreaking to watch, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Even so, it’s not news that some fans of The Last of Us were, for whatever reason, very vocally against Ramsey being cast as the immune teen before the series aired. Sadly, the internet was littered with hateful comments about the actor, and in an interview with GQ, Ramsey admitted that reading them has had a negative impact on her.
Take a look at this side-by-side comparison of the two Ellies (in-game and on-screen) below.
“You’re looking for a comment that’s more painful than the last one,” Ramsey told GQ. “I’d kid myself that I was doing it in jest.”
Specifically, she mentioned that it seemed like “everyone” was talking about her “square head”.
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“I wish I could say that I was confident enough [already] that it hasn’t affected me in any way, but it has,” they revealed. “I’m just glad I could do that for them. And for the show. And for Ellie. I want to do her justice.”
It’s already been confirmed that Ramsey will be reprising her role as Ellie in season two, which will begin to adapt the story of Part II. Given that season one’s LGBTQ-centred episodes have been review-bombed by viewers, it’d be understandable if Ramsey was concerned about the reaction to Part II since Ellie has an established relationship with Dina. However, this isn’t something that she’s worried about.
“I’m not particularly anxious about it,” the actor said. “I know people will think what they want to think. But they’re gonna have to get used to it. If you don’t want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that’s on you, and you’re missing out. […] It isn’t gonna make me afraid. I think that comes from a place of defiance.”
Currently, we don’t know when season two of The Last of Us will be airing, but it’s almost certainly going to be quite a wait - you might just want to play Part II in the meantime.
Topics: The Last Of Us, TV And Film