The Last of Us Star Bella Ramsey Praises Gay ‘Army’ of Supporters

Bella Ramsey, star of HBO’s The Last of Us, has expressed appreciation for their LGBTQ+ supporters on social media.

Ramsey plays Ellie Williams in HBO’s smash hit adaptation of the highly acclaimed The Last of Us video game. The series has drawn praise for showcasing not one but two queer love stories – the most recent of which featured a kiss between Ramsey and co-star Storm Reid.

But there has been backlash from a vocal minority of what Ramsey calls “homophobic trolls.”

Following the release of The Last of Us’ eighth episode, Ramsey appeared for an interview on The Last of Pods podcast, where the star discussed the show’s cultural impact, their experience working with Pedro Pascal, and more.

According to Ramsey, series creator Craig Mazin made them swear an oath not to look at social media comments. But, Ramsey added, “I’ve slightly, dramatically blown open that oath.”

What Ramsey found, however, was a wealth of online support from LGBTQ+ fans.

“I’m very aware that there’s a gay army who are on Twitter who are just supporting me and Ellie,” they said, adding: “They’re so much louder than any people who hate the show.”

The actor – who came out as nonbinary earlier this year – then shared their love for The Last of Us’ queer fandom, saying, “It’s nice to have that army behind me. That’s been a reaction that I’ve really enjoyed.”

Ramsey’s comments follow a recent pro-LGBTQ+ Instagram post from their co-star Pedro Pascal. Together, Pascal and Ramsey have been outspoken defenders of The Last of Us’s queer themes.

Reid, who played Ellie's friend and love interest on the show, recently told Entertainment Weekly, "It's 2023. If you're concerned about who I love, then I need you to get your priorities straight." She added: "There's so many other things to worry about in life. Why are you concerned that these young people — or anybody — love each other? Love is beautiful, and the fact that people have things to say about it, it's just nonsense."

The show’s season finale premieres this Sunday, March 12th at 9 p.m. EST on HBO Max.