‘The Last of Us’ star Bella Ramsey is determined to present an “authentic” version of themselves to the public.
Bella Ramsey is determined to present an “authentic” version of themselves.
The 21-year-old actor – who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – has spoken publicly about their gender fluidity and being diagnosed as neurodivergent and is keen to strike a balance between being candid and maintaining their privacy.
Speaking to HELLO! magazine, Bella said: “I want to make things visible and I want to use my platform for good reasons. For me, it’s all about being authentic, because I want people to know me as a person, not just some fabricated version of myself.
“The important balance is being authentic while maintaining a certain level of privacy, which I’ve thankfully managed to do so far.”
Bella is currently starring in the second season of ‘The Last of Us’ as Ellie, a tough teenage survivor amid a devastating global pandemic, and admits they felt under more pressure following the acclaim that accompanied the first series when it was released in 2023.
They said: “It’s a little bit scary.
“When season one came out, obviously it was this huge thing. So I think I’m just so aware of season two coming out and everybody looking at it and looking at me – and it’s quite scary.”
The new run of the post-apocalyptic show – which is based on the video game franchise of the same name – takes place five years on from the events of his first and Ramsey suggested that Ellie is a changed character.
The ‘Game of Thrones’ star said: “Obviously, a lot has changed in those five years.
“Ellie was 14 and is now 19. In any teenager’s life, those are always the formative years, so that definitely informed it.”
Bella admitted recently that they have “never really enjoyed” being in the spotlight.
They told Interview magazine: “It’s always felt quite trivial, and I’ve never really enjoyed it, but I can just accept I’m going to go and do it, it’ll be what it will be, and then it will be done. I was so terrified of signing on to ‘The Last of Us’ and the idea of reaching a level of fame that doesn’t go away, not being able to backtrack from that.
“But I realise now that actually, you reach this level of fame that stays for a few months while the show’s coming out, and then it does sort of die off. If you don’t do anything to maintain that level of fame, the world moves on, which I’m so grateful for.”
Bella Ramsey wants to be ‘authentic’
