“You’ve Chosen the Wrong Person” – The Last of Us Actor Bella Ramsey Shares the Change of Heart for Playing Ellie Williams After a Memorable Performance in Game of Thrones

Adaptions from video games are always the talk of the town as gamers get to become spectators of the story. Likewise, The Last of Us is about to get an HBO series release on January 15, 2023, taking fans’ anticipation through the roof. Surprisingly, the world wouldn’t have gotten the chance to see Bella Ramey as Ellie had she been reluctant like she admits to being at first.

The Last of Us video game title has been one of the most celebrated titles in the community. The survivor thrill embedded in the game kept gamers glued to their seats whilst the storyline did its magic. Thus, the fans are expecting the series to be a blockbuster as the game was nothing less than a spectacle.

Read More: Neil Druckmann Wanted to Change the Gaming Industry With ‘The Last of Us’

In the HBO adaptation, Joel Miller is enacted by Pedro Pascal and Ellie Williams is played by Bella Ramsey. Pascal had iterated that he felt “an immediate bond” with Ramsey which will certainly be reflected in the series. Even though Ramsey had performed memorably in Game of Thrones, it is shocking to know that Ramsey was at first reluctant to be a part of the TLOU series. But later it didn’t take a month for her to be cast as Ellie after her audition.

Bella Ramsey shares the emotions she had before and after coming in as Ellie in The Last of Us HBO series

As stated by The Hollywood Reporter, Ramsey said, “I seriously considered that maybe I don’t want to be famous so I’m not going to do this show because it’s going propel me to a place I don’t want to go to in terms of being seen and being known.” More so, she admitted, “I like to blend in and hide.”

For the casting of Ellie, Neil Druckmann stated they wanted someone to showcase the traits of toughness, vulnerability, and wisdom beyond their age with a tinge of violence in their potential. Faced with natural aging, they had to reset their hunt for Ellie to get a perfect fit for the character’s traits. Thereby, welcoming Ramsey as Ellie, was a thrilling story in itself indeed.

After seeing the audition clip of Ramsey as Ellie, Craig Mazin admitted, “Bella felt so real.” Moreover, Druckmann added, “It was like Ellie realized in live action. It didn’t feel like watching an actor.”

As goes for Ramsey, she recalled thinking, “‘You’ve chosen the wrong person’ — all of that goes around in your head.” She also dealt with the hate that was coming from her being chosen to play Ellie which she wisely tackled. She said, “I’m aware of all of it. It was my first experience, really, with a lot of negative reactions.”

In the end, what kept her going was the feeling of Ellie’s traits in herself. She exclaimed, “Ellie felt like a character I already had in me, Like the skins that you wear in a video game? She was one of my skins already.” Thus, the end product of all the hard work will soon unleash on the screens as the release date of the series is just far from a handful of days. For a glimpse of her acting, feel free to see the series’ trailer down below:

What are your expectations for the series? Do you think the series and the title should be taken ahead? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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