There is no doubt that while Bella Ramsey was unexpectedly cast as Ellie in HBO’s live-action adaptation of The Last of Us, fans have been gushing at how committed the actress is in getting into her role. It was at Brazil’s Comic-Con Experience (CCXP) when Ramsey was asked about Ellie’s ‘biggest’ achievement as a teen, and to that, the actress responds the way Ellie would, “To make Joel laugh is I think Ellie’s greatest achievement.” Since then, fans have been even more hyped to see her debut as Ellie soon.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last of Us Fans Declare Bella Ramsey As The ‘Perfect Ellie’ For Understanding Character Well
The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin details how auditions for the role of Ellie went in an exclusive interview with Total Magazine; the process of eventually finding their perfect Ellie, Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey.
“Ellie took longer, because it’s a harder role to cast. We’re trying to cast a 14-year-old girl and acting is an incredibly different thing to do, right? It’s an easy thing to do terribly. It’s a hard thing to do okay. But it’s a really, really hard thing to do brilliantly. And children haven’t had that much life experience. It’s hard to find kids that can embody this.”
Aside from looking for a good 14-year-old actor, Mazin emphasizes how Ellie’s value also lies in having a quick wit like the character does in the video game, as well as having to have this working chemistry with Joel Miller. And based on what we’ve seen thus far, even Pedro Pascal admits it, Bella Ramsey had actually helped the actor better himself in preparing for the role, which makes it all the more accurate in depicting their dynamic.
“Plus, she needs to be funny, tough, violent and protective of herself. She also needs to make us believe that she’s going to have this connection with Joel, so it took longer. We saw over 100 people.”
“The only fear that I had was because I watched her audition before Neil did, I was panicked that he wouldn’t like it and I would have to live for the rest of my life knowing that we couldn’t have the best Ellie ever.” Despite Mazin’s initial fear of losing their best Ellie choice, he was surprised to find that Bella Ramsey had also been Neil Druckmann’s pick, “But happily, he loved her. And we couldn’t have done better. She’s just the most remarkable performer.”
The Last of Us is currently slated for release on HBO on January 15, 2023.
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