They’re not holding back. Bella Ramsey has spoken candidly about their sexuality since being cast as Ellie in HBO’s breakout hit The Last of Us, which premiered in January 2023.
Initially, Bella revealed to the The New York Times during a January 2023 interview that they’re open to being referred to as “she” or “her,” despite marking “nonbinary” if it’s an available option.
“I guess my gender has always been very fluid,” they shared at the time. “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.”
However, the Catherine Called Birdy star has since explained that they’re nonbinary and prefer going by “they/them” pronouns.
“I’ve fought that word for so long. I didn’t want people to think I was just trying to be trendy. But it’s a very succinct way to describe to people who I am,” they told British Vogue in June 2023. “I had a lot of anxiety around pronouns. When The Last of Us first came out, I was like, ‘Everyone just call me “she” because I look like a “she” to you, so it’s fine.’ But now I’m able to vocalise it more, being called ‘they’ is the most truthful thing for me. That’s who I am the most.”
Bella added, “You never fully know who you are, it’s ever evolving. But I certainly think that people have gathered that I’m not 100 percent straight. I’m a little bit wavy, you know? That’s what I like to say.”
When filming The Last of Us, Ellie’s costumes always allowed Bella to feel the most comfortable in their skin.
“The costume supervisor would put several different undergarments in my room: a regular bra, a binder, a sports bra,” they shared. “She’d say, ‘You just pick whatever is most comfortable for you today,’ and in the end it was just a binder. There was never anyone pressuring me.”
That being said, they have no issue playing female characters on screen.
“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],” Bella told GQ in February 2023. “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.”
Scroll through our gallery to read Bella’s honest quotes about their sexuality.
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