Bella Ramsey said that being diagnosed as autistic during the first season of “The Last of Us” was “freeing.”
In a new interview with British Vogue, the 21-year-old actor, who uses they/them pronouns, said, “It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do.”
Ramsey described growing up with several sensory issues common to people on the autism spectrum, including hyperawareness of other people’s body language and disliking “too much stuff on my body” when having to wear heavy thermals while filming outdoor scenes in the Canadian wilderness for the HBO series.
In the interview, they say they’re not able to “unmask immediately” thanks to the diagnosis and they feel more relaxed. “My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person. There’s no reason for people not to know,” they told the outlet.
The actor, who plays Ellie on the zombie series, came out as nonbinary in 2023 and has since described themselves as “not one hundred per cent straight.”
Ramsey also said, “I often get referred to as an old soul, which I like. I think getting old will be interesting, especially as someone outside of the gender binary. I’m kind of curious as to how that’s gonna go.”
“The Last of Us” returns to HBO with new episodes on April 13 with new cast members Kaitlyn Dever, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Wright and Young Mazino joining series star Pedro Pascal.
You can watch the Season 2 teaser trailer here.
