Bella Ramsey says she wore a chest binder ‘90 per cent’ of the time while shooting The Last of Us
Actor says her gender has ‘always been very fluid’
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Your support makes all the difference.Bella Ramsey has opened up about gender fluidity and her non-binary identity.
The 19-year-old actor stars as spunky Ellie in HBO’s hit apocalyptic video game adaptation, The Last of Us, alongside Pedro Pascal’s straight-faced Joel.
After an outbreak decimates America, the two are forced to make a dangerous and life-threatening trek across the country.
Ahead of the series’ January debut, Ramsey spoke to The New York Times, explaining that her “gender has always been very fluid”.
“I’m very much just a person,” she said. “Being gendered isn’t something that I particularly like, but in terms of pronouns, I really couldn’t care less.”
In a new interview with GQ UK, Ramsey further addressed how her non-binary identity influenced her character.
(She elected to use she/her pronouns for the interview, telling the publication that she doesn’t mind what pronouns are used for her).
Ramsey revealed that for “90 per cent” of the filming process, she wore a chest binder, which she said helped her focus better on set.
“Which probably isn’t healthy,” she admitted. “Like, please bind safely.”
She said she shared many conversations with her “super supportive” co-star Pascal regarding sexuality and gender.
“They weren’t always deep: they could be funny and humorous, the whole spectrum. We were just very honest and open with each other,” Ramsey said.
Before landing her role on The Last of Us, Ramsey led the 2022 comedy Catherine Called Birdy and the drama Becoming Elizabeth, both of which had her wear dresses and corsets.
“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,” Ramsey added.
“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].”
The show’s makers have been branded “pretentious” by viewers after cinematographer Even Bolten revealed that the word “zombie” had been “banned” from being spoken on set.
The Last of Us airs new episodes Sundays on HBO Max in the US and Mondays on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
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