- Ramsey is appearing in season 2 of The Last Of Us
- A conversation on set led to them getting a diagnosis
- They’ve said the diagnosis has been helpful for them
Bella Ramsey has said that being diagnosed with autism was “freeing” and that the label was “so helpful” for them.
The actor revealed that they pursued an autism assessment during filming for The Last Of Us. A crew member on the show who had an autistic daughter assumed Ramsey was autistic too, leading them to investigate further.
Ramsey told Vogue that they’d “always wondered” if they were autistic, which their diagnosis later confirmed.
“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,” they said. They also mentioned that they were very happy to speak openly about it. “My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person. There’s no reason for people not to know.”
Read more: The Last of Us Season 2: Surprises & Brutal Scenes
Ramsey said their main autistic traits included feeling out of place among peers when they were younger, sensory issues, and “painful hyperawareness of other people’s micro-expressions and body language.”
They also reckoned it has helped make them a better actor. Watching other people and “having to learn more manually how to socialise and interact with the people” made it easier to replicate in front of a camera.
Ramsey’s relationship to labels
Ramsey came out as non-binary in 2013 and said that labels relating to gender is something they “don’t particularly like”. However, the label of autism was different.
“The label of being autistic has been so helpful to me because that’s helped me to understand myself,” they said. “But gender and sexuality-wise, labels do not feel comfy for me in any capacity, because I feel like I’m putting myself into a box. I feel trapped.”
When is The Last Of Us back on screen?
The second season of The Last Of Us premieres on HBO on April 13.
The trailer for the new season was officially released at SXSW in Austin, Texas, last week. In just three days it is already HBO and Max’s most watched trailer with an increase of 160% on previous trailers for the show, according to HBO. It’s now racked up 158 million views.
In the new trailer, we rejoin Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) five years after the events of the first season. The unlikely duo have been living in Jackson, having finally found a semblance of peace.
However, from the looks of the explosion heavy, flamethrower filled new trailer, that relief is getting ripped away. The pair have to contend with more Cordyceps nightmares and militant groups. At the trailer’s conclusion, we see an emotional conversation in which Ellie questions how honest Joel has been with her, their relationship now seemingly strained.
