Maisie Williams was considered for the role of Ellie in The Last of Us

Bella Ramsey has been wowing people with her portrayal of Ellie in The Last of Us, but she wasn’t the only actor considered for the role.

The Last of Us, one of the most acclaimed titles of the 2010s and a generation-defining game, is being given the prestige, big-budget television treatment on HBO. 

Developed by the game’s creator and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann, alongside Chernobyl maestro Craig Mazin, it’s one of the most anticipated TV events of 2023, bringing the “best video game story ever told” to the screen.

The original game follows Joel and Ellie on a life-or-death, cross-country trip across an America ravaged by a brutal virus, and the duo are played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. But apparently these weren’t always going to be the castings, as other actors were considered to play the young teen.

Maisie Williams or Kaitlyn Dever could have played Ellie in the Last of Us film

Recently, an article from The Hollywood Reporter, which interviewed both the stars and the creators of the upcoming HBO show, revealed that Ellie could have been played by someone else.

Namely, that actors Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) and Kaityln Dever (Booksmart) were considered for the role. Williams had had a chat with Druckmann about an adaptation early on, while Dever had even done a table read.

Now, it should be said that they weren’t considered for the HBO show, but rather the now-cancelled Last of Us film, which was going to be helmed by Sam Raimi. So since the film never came to fruition, these actors never got their chance. And by the time the HBO show came along, both were considered too old to play the 14 year old character.

According to the interview, Ellie’s casting requirements were a high bar. The series needed somebody who could be “tough and vulnerable and wise beyond [their] years and also have a potential for violence,” explained Druckmann.

They saw “dozens and dozens” for the role, which eventually went to a Game of Thrones co-star of Maisie Williams, Bella Ramsey. When they watched Ramsey’s tape, he stated that “It was like Ellie realized in live action. It didn’t feel like watching an actor.”

Ramsey went from her first audition to getting the role in less than a month Though turns out she was actually uncertain of whether or not she should go for the project, stating that “I seriously considered that maybe I don’t want to be famous so I’m not going to do this show because it’s going propel me to a place I don’t want to go to in terms of being seen and being known.”

There was also the pressure from years of internet fan-casting, so when Ramsey’s role was announced, a number of those fans weren’t happy. “I’m aware of all of it. It was my first experience, really, with a lot of negative reactions,” she said.

But ultimately, “Ellie felt like a character I already had in me,” she explained. “Like the skins that you wear in a video game? She was one of my skins already.”

The Last of Us will premiere on HBO on January 15. You can find out more about the show here, and check out the rest of our coverage here.