Bella Ramsey Says Her Nonbinary Identity Helps Her Play Ellie In ‘The Last Of Us’

Bella Ramsey has said that identifying as nonbinary was a big help when it came to approaching the role of Ellie in “The Last of Us.” The 19-year-old, who doesn’t mind which pronouns people use for her, revealed that many of the characters she’s played before were more feminine. So, it was much more in her comfort zone to lean into Ellie’s more androgynous style.

“This is what bothers me more than pronouns: being called a ‘young woman’ or a ‘powerful young woman’, ‘young lady,’ but I’m just not [that],” Ramsey told GQ. “[In] ‘Catherine Called Birdy,’ I was in dresses. ‘Becoming Elizabeth,’ I was in a corset. And I felt super powerful in that. Playing these more feminine characters is a chance to be something so opposite to myself, and it’s really fun.”

Bella Ramsey went on to say that she wore a chest binder “90%” of the time she was playing Ellie. She did so in order to better get in to character and avoid distraction. However, she was quick to add that it “probably isn’t healthy” to remain bound for so long. She urged people to “please bind safely.”

Bella Ramsey found solace not just in Ellie but in co-star Pedro Pascal

She also received a huge amount of support from her co-star Pedro Pascal, especially as his sister came out as transgender in 2021. As they filmed “The Last of Us,” the pair would have tons of interesting conversations about sexuality and gender. However, Ramsey assures us that it didn’t get too heavy.

“And they weren’t always deep [conversations]: they could be funny and humorous, the whole spectrum,” she recalled. “We were just very honest and open with each other.”

As for the drama surrounding some fans’ disappointment and even ire over “The Last Of Us” including more queer elements? She’s not bothered.

“I’m not particularly anxious about it,” she 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.”