As someone who started acting at the young age of 11, British actor Bella Ramsey never imagined pursuing a career that would lead to starring in not one but two critically acclaimed and popular shows like "Game of Thrones" and "The Last of Us".
Ramsey, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns as they/them, shot to fame with their role of the courageous and spirited Lyanna Mormont in HBO's epic fantasy series "Game of Thrones".
The popularity of their performance in the show led to their casting in another HBO series "The Last of Us", based on a video game of the same name. In the show, Ramsey stars alongside fellow "Game of Thrones" alum Pedro Pascal; the two never shared screen time in the earlier series.
"I was 11 when I started on 'Game of Thrones', and now I'm 21. So, I've been doing this for 10 years now. It's been a while and I think that I was really well protected throughout my time in the industry... I'm so grateful for the opportunity in 'Game of Thrones' because it sort of set me up for the rest of this career that I didn't know was going to happen. And I didn't even know that I wanted it until it started happening," Ramsey told PTI in a group interview.
Ramsey said earlier they used to be hard on themselves if they felt they didn’t perform well in a scene. However, they have realised that one imperfect scene doesn’t define the whole project.
"I've become maybe more self-assured... I've got to a point where I understand the process of filmmaking a lot more than I did when I was 11. So, it has let me give myself more grace in terms of like realising if one scene I'm like at 95 per cent and not on a 100 percent. It's okay. It's like 20 seconds in an entire series, especially with 'The Last of Us'. So, I think that I've understood the process of filmmaking more, which has kind of helped me as an actor. Also, I want to explore all the other ventures within the film industry."
"The Last of Us", created by Craig Mazin of "Chernobyl" fame and Neil Druckmann, is set over two decades after the destruction of modern civilisation.
The first season of the HBO series, which premiered in 2023, followed Joel (Pascal), a hardened survivor tasked with escorting a teenage girl, named Ellie (Ramsey), across a post-apocalyptic America ravaged by a deadly fungal outbreak.
In season two, which takes place five years after the first chapter's events, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind, according to the official logline.
Ramsey, now 21, said they felt "quite similar in age" to Ellie while filming for season two.
"I think my voice got a bit deeper. Maybe that's something that's a little more nuanced... Ellie's growing up and has become a bit more gruff," they said, adding that Ellie in the second season is more of a protector.
"In season one, she was protected by Joel and sort of needed to be taken care of. She didn't like that, she thought she could get through without Joel... In season two, she has even more of this protective energy over herself and the people around her... She is establishing her independence," Ramsey added.
For the actor, it was nice to see their character evolve as the story progresses.
"Growing up and becoming an adult with an overprotective parental figure, that's always a clash, especially when the parental figure and the kid are kind of the same person. So that was an interesting dynamic to play this season."
A notable aspect of "The Last of Us" is the terrifying, fungus-infected humans known as "infected". Their grotesque transformations and deadly behaviour are the result of a mutated Cordyceps fungus.
Ramsey said they shot the show's first season during the COVID-19 pandemic and the world around that time felt eerily similar to "The Last of Us".
"There was an apocalypse (going on). And the show was mimicking an aspect of real life. In season two, I feel the post-apocalyptic-ness of 'The Last of Us' is very much the backdrop for this really human and emotional story, which is why it connects with so many people... having the extreme violence, aggression and terror of the general world around them."
"The Last of Us", which is streaming on ‘JioHotstar’ in India, also features Gabriel Luna and Rutina Wesley alongside Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez and Jeffrey Wright.
The series is produced by ‘PlayStation Productions’, ‘Word Games’, ‘Mighty Mint’ and ‘Naughty Dog’.