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Bella Ramsey has made it clear: they’re officially over that question.
While promoting the highly anticipated second season of The Last of Us, the 21-year-old star shared with iHeart Radio that they’re exhausted from being repeatedly asked how they “prepared” to play an older version of Ellie, their character on the HBO hit. The inquiry has become so common on their three-week press tour that Ramsey couldn’t help but express a bit of lighthearted frustration.
“The most common question is, ‘Ellie was 14 in the first season and now she’s 19 — how did you prepare to portray an older version of her?’” Ramsey recounted. But for the Emmy-nominated actor, the answer is refreshingly simple — and somewhat anticlimactic. “I’ve got nothing to say to you,” they admitted bluntly. “We’ve both just grown up.”
Ramsey emphasized that both they and Ellie have matured naturally over time, so embodying a five-year-older version of the character didn’t require some dramatic transformation. The sentiment underscores a kind of authenticity in Ramsey’s approach — one that reflects lived experience rather than forced technique. Still, Ramsey jokingly added, “No offense to everyone asking that question, but that’s the question I am a little bit sick of.”
Despite that weariness, Ramsey didn’t coast into season two without preparation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they spent several months physically training — including jiu-jitsu, boxing, and weightlifting — to match Ellie’s hardened, post-Jackson persona in the latest chapter of the story.
Season two, which premiered on April 13, 2025, picks up five years after the events of the first season and continues the deeply emotional, violent, and complex narrative from The Last of Us Part II, the acclaimed video game by Naughty Dog. Ramsey returns alongside Pedro Pascal’s Joel (at least for the early episodes), with a supporting cast including Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna, Ariela Barer, and Rutina Wesley.
The show remains a massive cultural force, and fan anticipation for each Sunday’s episode is higher than ever. Still, if Ramsey had one request for future interviews, it might be: ask literally anything else.