Bella Ramsey, known for her impressive performance as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones and Ellie in The Last of Us, recently opened up about her non-binary identity. According to Bella, being non-binary helped her get into the character of Ellie on the show.
Bella, who doesn’t mind what pronouns are used for her and is comfortable with she/her, explained that playing Ellie and other preteen roles like Lyanna has given her a lot of experience in playing badass characters.
However, Bella is used to playing far more feminine roles such as Catherine in Catherine Called Birdy and Lady Jane Grey in Becoming Elizabeth.
She added that playing feminine roles is a chance for her to be something opposite to herself, which she finds “really fun.” In an interview with GQ, Bella explained that being called a “young woman” or a “powerful young woman” is what bothers her more than pronouns because she is just not that.
While portraying Ellie in The Last of Us, Bella wore a chest binder “90 percent” of the time, which helped her get into character on set. However, she acknowledged that chest binding can carry significant health risks if not done safely.
According to consultant plastic surgeon Paul Banwell, the safest way to bind the chest is with a binder designed for that purpose, and one should not wear it for more than eight consecutive hours.
Bella also revealed that her co-star Pedro Pascal, whose sister came out as transgender in 2021, was super supportive of her. The two had plenty of conversations about gender and sexuality during their time on the set. Bella said that they were very honest and open with each other and that their conversations were not always deep, sometimes being funny and humorous.
In the same interview, Bella also talked about the backlash from some The Last of Us viewers about the queer elements that had been added to the show’s storyline that were not in the original game.
She commented that she is not particularly anxious about it and that people will think what they want to think. Bella added that those who do not want to watch the show because it has gay storylines and a trans character are missing out.
“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,” said Bella.
Bella’s openness about her non-binary identity and her use of chest binding has received widespread support from fans, with many commending her for being a role model for young people who may be struggling with their own gender identity.
