Time actor and BAFTA breakthrough star Bella Ramsey, known for their role as Ellie Williams in the post-apocalyptic drama series ‘The Last of Us,’ expressed their excitement and anticipation for the lesbian romance set to unfold in the upcoming second season of the show.
The first season of ‘The Last of Us’ garnered critical acclaim and became one of the most-watched TV shows of 2023. Ramsey’s portrayal of the fiery and temperamental Ellie received praise, and they were recently named as one of the BAFTA breakthrough recipients for their work on the series.
While the first season included significant queer representation through Bill and Frank’s heart-wrenching love story, Season 2 will feature Ellie entering into a lesbian romance with the character Dina.
Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, Ramsey shared their enthusiasm for portraying this relationship and how they initially learned about ‘The Last of Us.’
“I’m really excited. Actually, the first time I’d ever heard of The Last of Us was a PinkNews article,” Ramsey revealed. “This was before the show, before I even got the audition. [The article was] saying that it was the first lesbian kiss in a video game.”
Ramsey’s interest in the game remained until they received the audition for the show. “I remember seeing that and being like: ‘That’s really cool.’ When [the audition] came through, I was like: ‘I recognize that, I can’t wait to do that, and to explore that story. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.'”
Following the conclusion of the Hollywood strikes, Ramsey is expected to commence filming for Season 2 early next year.
In addition to the sweet and heartrending relationship between Bill and Frank, Season 1 also provided Ramsey with the opportunity to explore Ellie’s queerness. Episode seven featured a flashback in which Ellie and her military-school friend Riley, played by Storm Reid, shared a kiss.
Ramsey reflected on this aspect of the story, saying, “It was awesome. I remember when I was researching The Last of Us, I saw that this ‘Left Behind’ story from the game, so [I was like]: ‘I really hope that’s in the show.’ When the script came through of Riley and Ellie’s story, I was very pleased.”
Ramsey appreciated that these queer storylines were not included just for the sake of representation. “It felt justified and very beautiful,” they added.
Bella Ramsey is among the 42 BAFTA breakthrough recipients for 2023, an accolade supported by Netflix, which recognizes must-watch creatives in film, games, and television.
Other recipients this year include Adjani Salmon, writer, and star of ‘Dreaming Whilst Black,’ among others.