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Bella Ramsey Shares How A Non-Binary Identity Has Helped Them Play Ellie In The Last Of Us

Bella Ramsay has shared how a non-binary identity has helped them play Ellie in The Last of Us. Read more here…
Credit: Alamy & HBO

Bella Ramsey has shared how a non-binary identity has helped them play Ellie in The Last Of Us.

The 19-year-old made a name for themself as Lyanna Mormont in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.

They are now starring in one of the most talked about TV shows in the world, which is an adaption of one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time, The Last Of Us.

Ramsey has now spoken out about how experiences in their personal life have helped them play their role in the show.

Watch the trailer for The Last Of Us below…

In an interview with The New York Times, Ramsey came out as gender fluid, revealing that they find it ‘exciting’ when someone refers to them as ‘he’, but they ‘couldn’t care less’ whether people refer to them as male or female.

They explain to the publisher: “I guess my gender has always been very fluid.

“Someone would call me ‘she’ or ‘her’ and I wouldn’t think about it, but I knew that if someone called me ‘he’ it was a bit exciting.

“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.”

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Ramsey has experience in playing tough, rebellious female teen characters – which they describe as ‘really fun’ – and The Last Of Us star isn’t uncomfortable about it, as they believe they are just ‘characters’.

They tell GQ: “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].

Catherine Called Birdy, I was in dresses. 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.”

Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us.
Bella Ramsey has explained how being non-binary has allowed them to play characters who are the opposite of themself. Credit: HBO

While speaking to GQ, Ramsey also revealed that they wore a chest binder for about ’90 per cent’ while shooting The Last Of Us.

They acknowledge that it wasn’t the healthiest thing they could do, as Ramsey adds: “Which probably isn’t healthy, like please bind safely.”

A chest binder is used to flatten a person’s breasts and give the appearance of a flatter chest.

Consultant plastic and cosmetic surgeon Mr Paul Banwell explains in an interview with patient.info: “The safest way to bind the chest is with a binder designed for that purpose, whether it’s a sports bra or chest binder.

“The general advice is that you shouldn’t wear a chest binder for more than eight consecutive hours – otherwise, you may experience back pain, breathing problems and other side effects.”

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The Game Of Thrones star also explains how co-star Pedro Pascal was open on set to Ramsey in regards to their gender.

Pascal, whose sister is trans, would have ‘super supportive’ conversations around gender and sexuality with Ramsey.

They add: “And they weren’t always deep: they could be funny and humorous, the whole spectrum.

“We were just very honest and open with each other.”

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Written by Rosario Monachino

Rosario is a content editor at IGV who specialises in film, TV and entertainment news. He has a degree in English and Film from the University of Salford and a masters in Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University.