Bella Ramsey has a message for homophobic viewers upset about gay storylines making their way into HBO’s blockbuster new series “The Last of Us“: “Get used to it.” Ramsey stars in the video game adaptation as Ellie. The HBO series earned critical acclaim for its third episode, which expanded on the source material to tell a gay love story between characters Bill and Frank. Toxic fans review bombed the episode on websites such as IMDb, but Bill and Frank’s romance is just the beginning of gay representation on “The Last of Us.”
Ramsey told GQ UK magazine that she visited “The Last of Us” Season 2 writers room and thinks the HBO series will continue to closely “follow the storyline of the games.” This means that Ramsey’s Ellie will most likely have a Season 2 relationship with a woman named Dina. The actor is hoping HBO stays true to Ellie’s sexual orientation in the games.
“There are a few bits with Ellie on her own, probably, but I like the fact that she also has [Dina] now,” Ramsey said about the video game’s sequel, “The Last of Us Part II,” which will serve as the inspiration for the HBO series’ second season. The sequel also introduces a transgender teenager named Lev.
“I’m not particularly anxious about it,” Ramsey said about backlash over the show’s queer storylines. “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.”
Ramsey announced in an interview with The New York Times in January that she identifies as non-binary. Speaking to GQ, the actor revealed that she wore a chest binder for “90%” of filming during the show’s first season so that she could focus better on set. Ramsey said her co-star, Pedro Pascal, was “super supportive” of her decision. Pascal’s sister is transgender. Ramsey said the two actors often discussed sexual identity in between takes.
“And they weren’t always deep [conversations],” Ramsey said. “They could be funny and humorous, the whole spectrum. We were just very honest and open with each other.”
Ramsey added that she welcomes all pronouns, including she and they, but there are certain descriptions she can’t stand. “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],” she said. “[In] ‘Catherine Called Birdy,’ I was in dresses.[In] ‘Young 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.”
“The Last of Us” airs Sunday nights at 9pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.
