The Last of Us season 2 premiered, and while the show has been faring well in terms of storyline and being praised as one of the rare and best video game live adaptations, not everything is sunshine for its lead star, Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in the show. In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Ramsey opened up about fans obsessing over her appearance, revealing how the non-stop scrutiny pushed her to step back from social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit. The second season also marked the end of Pedro Pascal’s character, someone very close to her, and while watching and shooting Joel’s brutal death with a golf club was already incredibly hard for Ramsey, she was also dealing with a lot behind the scenes. She was quietly battling the insane amount of online hate. “I always knew that I’d [deactivate] it one day and never even really wanted to have social media in the first place,” Ramsey said.
Also read: The Last of Us Season 2 hit by ‘dumbest’ controversy yet: Bella Ramsey backlash explained
Bella Ramsay reveals she got ‘fixated’ over the way Ellie looks
During her conversation with THR, the 21-year-old, who earlier shared her struggle with autism that was diagnosed while filming season 1, revealed getting ‘fixated’ over the video game character of Ellie. To master Ellie’s skills, she had to go through intense physical training, such as boxing, jiu-jitsu, and weight training. But she admitted that she repeatedly questioned herself over her look. “I didn’t look like that. My body type isn’t that. I talked about this a lot with Craig,” she shared, revealing that she lacked Ellie’s look from the game, specifically the muscle definition in her arms. However, Ramsey revealed how the showrunner never had an issue with that. In fact, she shared, Craig Mazin “wanted me to look strong and feel strong, and that was in how I carried myself, my posture, and the confidence you have. It was a challenge for me to let myself off the hook for not looking computer-generated.”
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Also read: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey put a lot of internal work into The Last of Us: ‘You have to step into complete vulnerability…’
Because The Last of Us Part II video game shows Ellie as older, stronger, and physically more “ripped,” some fans got way too obsessed with how Bella looked compared to the video game character. Some had other stars in mind who they thought would play Ellie’s character better on screen, and thus started tearing her apart for not having the exact
“body shape.” Amid intense trolling and abuse, Ramsey decided to quit social media. “It wasn’t like this big dramatic thing, but there was an element of it that was thinking about the show coming out for season two. If I just avoid Twitter and Reddit, which now I’m doing, then everything’s totally fine.”
In the same interview, Mazin said, “I’m not interested in the physical aspect, I’m interested in the emotional maturity and the change in personality. I’ve watched Bella grow and start to find her own two feet. … And I feel that in Ellie completely.” After Joel’s death, Bella officially became the show’s main lead, and carrying the whole show on her own comes with a lot of responsibility. Bella had always struggled with anxiety and even discovered she was autistic while filming season one. Acting as Ellie, a physically and emotionally intense role, while dealing with these personal challenges, took a toll. There’s even a scene later this season that Mazin said shook him. “I was scared of her. I didn’t want her to do what she was doing. She broke my heart.”