Posted in: HBO, TV | Tagged: the last of us

The Last of Us: Bella Ramsey on Druckmann's Departure, Season 3 Plans

HBO's The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey discusses the extent of their involvement in Season 3, Neil Druckmann's departure, and more.

We always knew that once Bella Ramsey was cast as Ellie Williams in HBO's The Last of Us, the burden would be quite the leap for the actor, considering their first on-screen role was a breakout as the brave young leader of Bear Island, Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones. With season one, they shared the responsibility of carrying the Naughty Dog video game franchise-turned-HBO series with co-star Pedro Pascal, who played Joel Miller, as the two weathered the storm between the infected horde and the various militia, who threaten their survival, atypical of the apocalyptic genre. Ramsey spoke with Variety to reflect on their work on season two, taking ownership of the torch, their Emmy nomination, the season three departure of series co-creator Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, and what their status is for season three.

The Last of Us Star Bella Ramsey on Season 2, Season 3 Status, and Neil Druckmann

As Pascal's character died in the season two, second episode "Through the Valley," Ramsey carried the bulk of the load with Ellie's new mission to seek revenge against Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever), who murdered Joel. With Dever's season two narrative enclosed within a few episodes, Ramsey looked back at what they accomplished, "I'm like, how the hell did I manage to do that? It's so exhausting, physically and emotionally. You just sort of do it because you have to. And was supported by the crew and the team."

With Pascal's involvement down to three episodes with the premiere, its follow-up, and the penultimate episode "The Price," Ramsey bore that weight. "Being number one on the call sheet as an actor is like, you're the head of acting department. There's something in that responsibility that I really enjoy. And sort of dictate, in a way, how the environment that cast members are coming into and be like is."

As far as reacting to Druckmann's departure, giving Craig Mazin control, "The world of 'The Last of Us' is [Neil's] creation, and so his voice and creative input. It doesn't just go away in Season 3 because he's not as actively involved," Ramsey said. "It will always be his creation. And we're always in everything that we do, honoring the game and Neil's creation. He'll definitely be missed on set. But his spirit is the story." Ramsey was blunt about what they could say about season three, "I sort of know, but I can't tell you, I'm afraid." For more on their reaction to being the first nonbinary performer to be nominated multiple times for Emmys, you can check out the full interview.

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