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Bella Ramsey, who stars in The Last of Us and uses they/them pronouns, opened up on The Louis Theroux Podcast about the tricky topic of gendered award categories. As someone who identifies as non-binary, Bella shared their thoughts on the recent trend of award shows moving toward gender-neutral categories.
Some events, like the Gotham Awards and Spirit Awards, have dropped the traditional Best Actor and Best Actress categories in favor of gender-neutral awards. But Bella believes that keeping separate male and female categories still matters a lot.
They said, “I don’t have the answer and I wish there was an easy fix. But I think it’s really important to have a female category and a male category.”
Bella’s main concern is making sure women still get proper recognition in the industry. They feel that if we remove gendered categories entirely, it might actually make it harder for women to get noticed in film and TV, even if the current system isn’t perfect.
They also thought about possible alternatives, like having awards for “best performance as a female character,” but pointed out this could get complicated, especially with non-binary roles.
Even though Bella doesn’t identify as female, they were nominated in the Lead Actress category at the Emmys for their role in The Last of Us. When asked about being called an “actress,” Bella said it feels a bit off, but they don’t take it personally or as an attack on their identity. For now, they’re okay with being placed there, especially when it comes to formal awards.
Bella also talked about how their sense of gender has changed over time. Growing up, they often felt more like a boy than a girl and saw themselves as more masculine. They used to call themselves a tomboy, but it was more than just being a “boyish girl”—they felt like they were somewhere in between, leaning toward the boys’ side.