Bella Ramsey believes there is still a way to go to properly "portray queer storylines in the media"
The 'Last of Us' star - who is non-binary and uses gender-fluid pronouns - was thrilled with the "authentic" way their character Ellie's same-sex relationship with Dina (Isabella Merced) came across in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series and hailed it as an example of how not to simply "check a box"
16 April 2025
Speaking on 'BBC Newsbeat', Bella said: "I feel like we're still figuring out how to portray queer storylines in the media in a way that feels very authentic but that also feels very genuine in terms of the story.
"That's what The Last of Us does so well, I think, with Ellie and Dina.
"It doesn't feel like it's like representation added on top to check a box - it really feels like it's just a part of the story.
"So that was what was exciting about getting to portray this sort of relationship in this medium."
Elsewhere, the 21-year-old actress - who shot to fame playing Lyanna Mormont in the hit HBO fantasy series 'Game of Thrones' - spoke about how sharing their autism diagnosis was a freeing experience.
Bella said: "It was something that I didn't really think about too much before.
"Actually, no, that's a lie. I did, because I said that I was neurodiverse before, and then I was like, 'Why don't I just say what it actually is, which is, yeah, I'm autistic."
They continued: "You can be in industries like this and openly say that you're autistic, why there shouldn't be sort of such a stigma around that and such a fear around that.
"So I'm very proud to be able to say it out loud and also just to bring more awareness.
"Autism comes in all different shapes and sizes, and and I'm not someone that people would maybe typically see and go like 'Oh, you're autistic'."
© 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity
