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“It was a challenge for me to let myself off the hook”
Bella Ramsey has admitted they were “fixated” on looking like the video game version of Ellie for The Last Of Us’ second season.
READ MORE: ‘The Last Of Us’ season two review: heartbreakingly brilliant apocalypse drama
The Last Of Us season two takes heavy inspiration from 2020’s The Last Of Us Part Two video game and begins with a five-year time jump from the brutal conclusion of season one. Bella Ramsey’s Ellie is now 19 and has joined a team of volunteers protecting the town of Jackson from the infected.
At the start of the month, footage of Ramsey practicing martial arts for the new season was shared online and in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and they confirmed they went through “intensive physical training” including boxing, jiu-jitsu, and weight training for the role. While filming the show, they also did stunt training.
“It was cool to feel really … capable,” Ramsey explained. However they went on to say they “got quite fixated on the way that Ellie looks in the game and her physical stature and, to be specific, the muscle definition in her arms. And I didn’t look like that. My body type isn’t that.”
They spoke about it “a lot” with showrunner Craig Mazin. “He never put that expectation on me. He wanted me to look strong and feel strong, and that was in how I carried myself, my posture and the confidence you have,” they added. “It was a challenge for me to let myself off the hook for not looking computer-generated.”
“I’m not interested in the physical aspect,” explained Mazin. “I’m interested in the emotional maturity and the change in personality. I’ve watched Bella grow and start to find their own two feet. … And I feel that in Ellie completely.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Ramsey revealed they deactivated their social media accounts ahead of the launch of The Last Of Us season two so they didn’t have to deal with gaming fans obsessed with their appearance.
“I always knew that I’d [deactivate] it one day and never even really wanted to have social media in the first place. It wasn’t like this big dramatic thing, but there was an element of it that was thinking about the show coming out for season two. If I just avoid Twitter and Reddit, which I’m doing, then everything’s totally fine.”
Before the season launched, The Last Of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann said the show would be different from the games because “it’s more about the drama“. He also defended casting Kaitlyn Dever as Abbey. “We value performance over anything else.”
Earlier this week, The Last Of Us fans were shocked by the “brutal” ending of episode two, Through The Valley. However some gaming fans enjoyed the “evil” hints that HBO shared ahead of the episode’s release
In other news, it’s been confirmed that the Ghost Of Tsushima sequel Ghost Of Yōtei will definitely be released this year. Pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 title will go live next week ahead of an October 2 launch.
READ MORE: ‘The Last Of Us’ season two review: heartbreakingly brilliant apocalypse drama
The Last Of Us season two takes heavy inspiration from 2020’s The Last Of Us Part Two video game and begins with a five-year time jump from the brutal conclusion of season one. Bella Ramsey’s Ellie is now 19 and has joined a team of volunteers protecting the town of Jackson from the infected.
At the start of the month, footage of Ramsey practicing martial arts for the new season was shared online and in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and they confirmed they went through “intensive physical training” including boxing, jiu-jitsu, and weight training for the role. While filming the show, they also did stunt training.
“It was cool to feel really … capable,” Ramsey explained. However they went on to say they “got quite fixated on the way that Ellie looks in the game and her physical stature and, to be specific, the muscle definition in her arms. And I didn’t look like that. My body type isn’t that.”
They spoke about it “a lot” with showrunner Craig Mazin. “He never put that expectation on me. He wanted me to look strong and feel strong, and that was in how I carried myself, my posture and the confidence you have,” they added. “It was a challenge for me to let myself off the hook for not looking computer-generated.”
“I’m not interested in the physical aspect,” explained Mazin. “I’m interested in the emotional maturity and the change in personality. I’ve watched Bella grow and start to find their own two feet. … And I feel that in Ellie completely.”
“I always knew that I’d [deactivate] it one day and never even really wanted to have social media in the first place. It wasn’t like this big dramatic thing, but there was an element of it that was thinking about the show coming out for season two. If I just avoid Twitter and Reddit, which I’m doing, then everything’s totally fine.”
Before the season launched, The Last Of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann said the show would be different from the games because “it’s more about the drama“. He also defended casting Kaitlyn Dever as Abbey. “We value performance over anything else.”
Earlier this week, The Last Of Us fans were shocked by the “brutal” ending of episode two, Through The Valley. However some gaming fans enjoyed the “evil” hints that HBO shared ahead of the episode’s release
In other news, it’s been confirmed that the Ghost Of Tsushima sequel Ghost Of Yōtei will definitely be released this year. Pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 title will go live next week ahead of an October 2 launch.