A few weeks before the release of HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2, lead actress Bella Ramsey revealed an interesting fact about themself (Ramsay is non-binary and goes by they/them). Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in The Last of Us has recently discovered that they’re on the autism spectrum– and it’s something they found liberating.
Bella Ramsay, 21, was in the process of filming Season 1 of HBO’s The Last of Us when a crew member approached them. Apparently, the crew member had an autistic daughter and saw signs of autism in Bella Ramsay as well. So the crew member assumed Ramsay also had autism, and this prompted the TV star to seek out a formal psychiatric assessment out of curiosity.
When the results finally came in, Ramsey felt like they were free after a long battle with trying to fit in. That’s because many autistic people engage in a conscious or subconscious behavior called “masking” where they suppress the characteristics of their “disorder” to appear neurotypical or normal, or generally to blend in. Hence, Ramsay felt trapped prior to their diagnosis but afterward, was able to “unmask immediately”.
“I’ve spoken a bit about neurodivergence before, but I always for some reason didn’t want to… I felt like I didn’t want to say what it was. It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do
My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person. There’s no reason for people not to know,” explains Bella Ramsay in an interview with British Vogue.
Ramsey has also pointed out that their autism might have also improved their craft. Basically, Ramsey has always watched and observed people as some kind of example of how to socialize. This has helped them not just in masking but also in bringing their characters to life.
Speaking of their bringing their character to life, we’re about to see more of Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us Season 2, especially since the story will likely take a turn for the worst. Ramsey will certainly have a more daring and intense portrayal of Ellie, likely right away if the show follows the events of the video game.
The Link Between Acting and Autism
Right away, many people online were able to relate to Bella Ramsey’s experience as an autistic person who only came out recently. Some comments are more humorous jabs at how they’re probably going to be good actors and actresses as well since they’ve been masking their entire lives.
Others wonder how many other celebrities could be undiagnosed with autism and how acting could’ve been a regular part of their life. Perhaps Bella Ramsey’s experience with formal autism psychiatric diagnosis could also have the same effect on people, especially celebrities. In any case, we might just see more celebrities with autism in the future thanks to Bella Ramsey.
“TBH most people from Drama class were definitely on the spectrum so it doesn’t shock me that most working actors are,” claims Redditor u/SnagglepussJoke
“You want me to pretend to be a different person? Frankly I was doing that anyway,” jokes Redditor u/Top_Praline999
“Great! I love it when celebrities disclose their diagnosis. I think the majority of people don’t really understand what the spectrum of autism looks like. I certainly didn’t before my own diagnosis!” explains Redditor u/Delicious_Tea3999
