After making waves in Hollywood for their performance in The Last of Us, Bella Ramsey talks about their early career and being rejected because of their appearance.
Non-binary actor Bella Ramsey stole our hearts with their performance as Ellie in the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series, The Last of Us. However, Ramsey recently opened up about the roles they did not get in their early career.
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Bella Ramsey Told They Don’t Have the ‘Hollywood Look’
Before their big break in the post-apocalyptic drama series, the 19-year-old had auditioned for what they thought was a perfect first role. Even the director agreed that Ramsey would be the obvious choice for the character, if not for one thing.
“I was told in one of my first auditions ever, the director really liked me but I didn’t get the part because I didn’t have ‘the Hollywood look,’” Ramsey said in an interview with ReelBlend podcast host, Kevin McCarthy. The interview took place years ago, but has made a resurgence online due to Ramsey’s growing popularity.
At the time, Ramsey was promoting their project, a 2020 film called Catherine Called Birdy, alongside costar Lena Dunham. McCarthy asked the actors if they could recall when someone instructed them to change something about themselves to succeed in the industry. Ramsey went on to say that they are glad they don’t have the “Hollywood look” and Dunham agreed.
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“I was told I should have my teeth done,” Dunham continued. “I was told I should get a spray tan. And I was like, I’m sorry, I like having weird teeth and I’m fine with it.”
The Lesbian Storyline Coming in S2 of The Last of Us
Ramsey’s performance alongside (our internet daddy) Pedro Pascal in season one of The Last of Us has critics raving and solidified their return in season two. The series is based on the 2013 video game of the same name. Audiences have praised the series for its queer-inclusive storylines. We can only hope this will continue in the next chapter when Ellie finally meets Dina.
“I’m really excited for the Ellie/ Dina story,” Ramsey told Josh Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast.
“I’ve watched a cut together, someone’s made a phenomenal – I don’t know how they do it – like an amazing edit of just the gameplay, like Ellie and Dina’s love story. I’m excited to play that out.”
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