Let’s Talk About The Last of Us
When The Last of Us first dropped on Sky Atlantic, it took about 0.3 seconds to become the telly event of the year. Adapted from one of the most beloved video games of all time, the series had the nerve-wracking task of pleasing both long-time gamers and brand new viewers. No pressure, right?
Luckily, they nailed it. With Craig Mazin teaming up with the game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann, the series blended heart-pounding horror with tear-jerking drama. Pedro Pascal brought the grizzled, emotionally constipated Joel to life, while Bella Ramsey took on the role of Ellie, the knife-wielding teenager with more sass than my group chat on a Sunday morning.
Bella Ramsey: Not Just Good. Perfect
In the latest episode of The Movie Dweeb Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Alice Johnson for the second time, and we got right into it: why Bella Ramsey is exactly the right person to play Ellie.
Alice, having recently interviewed Bella themself, put it best:
“Ellie is awkward. Ellie is an awkward queer teenager who doesn’t know how to talk to Joel, who is madly in love with Dina, and Bella does it so perfectly. I will never hear otherwise!”
Honestly, agree.
Bella is non-binary and queer, just like Ellie in the games, and that shared identity brings an extra layer of authenticity that’s so important. They get Ellie; the awkwardness, the rage, the stubbornness, the softness hiding beneath all that snark. Every bit of it.
“But Can They Do the Rampage Bit?” YES. Duh.
To anyone still asking, “But can Bella do full-on rampage mode Ellie?”, we say: let’s not jump the gun like it’s a clicker in the dark, shall we?
I mean, people once said Heath Ledger could never be the Joker. Then he won an Oscar. So let’s all stop listening to blokes named Johnny_69 on Reddit whose profile pics are souped-up Vauxhalls, and start trusting the actual casting directors who’ve smashed it so far. Bella has done nothing but bring it, and season one already gave us a glimpse of that darker, fiercer Ellie. Remember the scream when Joel was bleeding out? Chills. Tears. Actual sobbing.
Let’s Rewind to the Game That Started It All
The OG Last of Us video game came out in 2013 and completely changed the game (literally). It wasn’t just a zombie shoot-‘em-up; it was an emotional rollercoaster with a fungal apocalypse thrown in. Joel and Ellie’s journey across post-outbreak America wasn’t about saving the world. It was about saving each other.
And then came Part II, bolder, darker, and even more controversial. It followed an older, more broken Ellie navigating love, revenge, grief, and all the mess in between. Whoever played Ellie on screen needed serious range. Someone who could go from vulnerable to vicious in a heartbeat. Cue Bella Ramsey. Job’s a good’un.
Fancy Listening to the Full Chat?
If you fancy hearing Alice and me scream about this and our first reaction to Marvel’s Thunderbolts* , you can listen to The Movie Dweeb Podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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