Are you caught up with The Last of Us? Episode two was a doozy, bidding farewell to a major character whose absence will have an incredible impact on the rest of season two—and the upcoming third season too. It also means that Bella Ramsey’s Ellie will become the show’s main focus, something the actor talked about in a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
“I would never consider myself a leader,” Ramsey told the trade. “But there’s something that happens when I’m given responsibility where I really like the feeling and I take the responsibility very seriously. I’m very happy to lead a set and have a lot of influence over the tone and dynamic, especially given there’s preconceived ideas about a young person who’s No. 1 on the call sheet.”
Ramsey, who’s 21, had a scene-stealing role on Game of Thrones before being cast in The Last of Us, but the HBO video game adaptation is their most high-profile outing to date. That the show is based on a hit video game added an extra layer of pressure. Season two picks up five years after season one, and Ellie has aged from a vulnerable young teen to an ass-kicking young woman. For Ramsey, that meant recalibrating their performance a bit.
“I got quite fixated on the way that Ellie looks in the game and her physical stature and, to be specific, the muscle definition in her arms. And I didn’t look like that,” Ramsey said. “My body type isn’t that. I talked about this a lot with [co-showrunner Craig Mazin], and he never put that expectation on me. He 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.”
Speaking to THR, Mazin explained that Ellie’s emotional growth matters more than insisting Ramsey become more muscular. “I’m not interested in the physical aspect, I’m interested in the emotional maturity and the change in personality,” he said. “I’ve watched Bella grow and start to find her own two feet. … And I feel that in Ellie completely.”
New episodes of The Last of Us arrive Sundays on HBO and Max.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
