While this might seem strange to say given their experience on “Game of Thrones,” it’s important to remember how different their role as Lady Lyanna Mormont was from their new role as Ellie. Even though she quickly became a fan favorite, Lyanna was just one of many, many supporting characters circling around the central storylines of the fantasy show. She was far from its central female lead, unlike Ellie in “The Last of Us.”
Despite their initial nerves, Ramsey decided to audition for the part anyways. Once that fateful audition happened, the role was essentially nobody else’s but Ramsey’s.
“Bella felt so real,” said original game creator and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann. “It was like Ellie realized in live action. It didn’t feel like watching an actor.”
Needless to say, those initial worries about being too visible to the public and being the wrong person for the role eventually dissipated. Of course, that was a difficult process for Ramsey — who hasn’t gotten inside their own head before? However, they took inspiration from her character in order to persevere.
“Ellie felt like a character I already had in me,” said Ramsey. “Like the skins that you wear in a video game? She was one of my skins already.”
“The Last of Us” premieres on January 15, 2023, on HBO and HBO Max.