Lead star Bella Ramsey grows up and out of teenhood

The English performer returns to the hit drama older in body and mind, and with new cast members too

- John Lui

Bella Ramsey has received critical praise for playing teen protagonist Ellie in the hit HBO series The Last Of Us (2023 to present).

This, despite its producers receiving online flak from fans of the video game franchise of the same name on which the acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama is based, for not casting someone with a closer physical resemblance to the Ellie from the source material.

In previous interviews, the 21-year-old admitted to "doom-scrolling" the negative comments, but has since grown to accept that it was a good fit after all.

With the much-awaited Season 2 premiering on HBO and Max on April 14, the five-year time jump between the seasons resembles the one in real life - Ellie has matured, as has Ramsey by three years. That made playing an older Ellie much easier.