15 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Bella Ramsey That You Probably Didn't Know, But Definitely Should
After only a few episodes, The Last of Us has become an instant hit, and its star Bella Ramsey is already taking the media world by storm.
Take it from me, Bella's performance (along with Pedro Pascal's) is SO worth the watch, I'm nearly foaming at the mouth as I wait for more episodes to drop.
To celebrate her already-iconic performance, here are 15 facts you probably never knew about her:
1.Bella was born September 30, 2003 and is from Leicester, England.
2.Bella uses she/her and they/them pronouns interchangeably but is hesitant to assign herself a label publicly.
In an interview with Elle, they explained their "slightly unhealthy relationship with labels." They said, “I’m wary of them, but I also think that I, in many ways, don’t have the guts to assign a label to myself.”
They added, "I have labels that I assign to myself. It’s just, publicly, I am hesitant to talk about what those are because there are still some things that — I’m, I guess, becoming comfortable with and figuring out. ... Actually, I think I’ve probably figured it out, but becoming comfortable with and owning, I suppose. I think people who can publicly talk about who they are, I think that’s incredibly brave, and I look up to those people, but it’s not the sort of thing that I can do yet, really.”
3.She also shared that she's always felt very "fluid." And when given the option, they do check off "nonbinary" on paperwork.
They told the New York Times, "I’m very much just a person. Being gendered isn’t something that I particularly like, but in terms of pronouns, I really couldn’t care less.”
4.They're best known for their role as Lyanna Mormont on HBO's Game of Thrones, which is also their first credited role. She first appeared in the series when she was 13 years old.
5.Bella first found out she landed the Game of Thrones role one day after school, and she had to keep the news a secret for an entire year until the season came out. She even joked that she'd rehearse at the dinner table.
They told LeftLion, "After the audition, we were at the dinner table, and I kept being Lyanna. My mum got really scared of me because I wouldn’t stop. If anyone started laughing at the table, I just said, 'Don’t laugh in my house. You don’t laugh at me. Pass me the salt.'"
6.Unlike most GoT fans, she doesn't really have much of an opinion on the show's series finale but is happy to listen to people rant about it.
They told Jimmy Kimmel, "I don’t have an opinion. I just let [fans] either hate on it or talk about how great it was — mostly hate on the ending for, like, 10 minutes, and then I just sit there and listen and then say, 'Goodbye, nice to meet you,' and then that’s it."
7.They sing, too, and have lent their voice to the title character in Netflix's animated series Hilda. She sings "The Life of Hilda," a song released for the series.
8.Their first-ever role was as Amaryllis in an "amateur production" of The Music Man. She later joined the Television Workshop, which helped her land more professional roles.
9.Bella has also shared that if she weren't an actor, she'd want to work with children with disabilities.
10.Bella is a Christian but explained that her faith is less church-based and “one that [is] totally [her] own." They also called it "a fundamental part of [their] life.”
11.Back in 2018, they were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, and have since been vocal about their experience with the eating disorder.
12.More recently, they starred in Lena Dunham's new movie Catherine Called Birdy and scored a Critics Choice nomination for Best Young Performer.
13.While working on The Last of Us, Bella underwent a diagnosis process to confirm she is neurodivergent, something she'd suspected for years.
14.They also plan to watch The Last of Us week-to-week in their bedroom alone with the lights off, because they're "not very good at crying around other people." She added that she wants to experience Joel and Ellie's relationship again just like she did on set.
“I’m really not very good at crying around other people, so if I’m watching it for the first time with my family or my friends, I just won't feel all the things that I need to feel,” she explained.
15.Finally, she said she'd absolutely continue playing Ellie "forever" if The Last of Us gets picked up for more seasons.
She told the Hollywood Reporter, "I think there’s more story to tell." And in an interview with Elle, they elaborated: "There’s no limits for me. They can do as many games as they like, as many series as they like, and I’ll be here, flying back out to Canada."