Bella Ramsey has four words for homophobic fans ahead of The Last of Us Season 2 and Part 2’s storyline: “Get used to it.”
Five episodes into HBO’s video game adaptation, any fans’ concerns over the show’s casting should be put to rest. Pedro Pascal is Joel, and Bella Ramsey is Ellie.
Ramsey, 19, was the subject of backlash from a small, vocal subset of players who couldn’t see her as the character. They were wrong, obviously, but the star knows it’s just the beginning when it comes to the franchise’s controversies.
The Last of Us has already been greenlit for Season 2, which will adapt – or at least start to tackle – Part 2, a title known for its industry-wide acclaim and eye-rolling criticism. Thankfully, Ramsey isn’t fazed. Don’t worry, there aren’t any major Part 2 spoilers here.
Bella Ramsey tells homophobic The Last of Us fans to “get used to it”
We won’t go into too many specifics, but bigoted and sexist fans latched onto a few characters in Part 2: Abbie, the game’s antagonist; Lev, a trans teenager forced to flee for his life; and Dina, whom Ellie develops a relationship with.
In a new interview with GQ, Ramsey spoke about the review-bombing after Episode 3, which explored the love story of Bill and Frank, and the inevitability of bigots piping up in Season 2.
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“I’m not particularly anxious about it,” Ramsey said.
I know people will think what they want to think. But they’re gonna have to get used to it.
“If you don’t want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that’s on you, and you’re missing out… it isn’t gonna make me afraid. I think that comes from a place of defiance.”
The Last of Us Episode 6 will be available to stream on February 19 in the US and February 20 in the UK. You can check out our coverage of the recent episode below:
Episode 5 review | Ending explained | What happens to Henry and Sam? | What happens to Kathleen? | Savage Starlight explained | Who are Danny and Ish?