‘Get Used to It’: Bella Ramsey Rebuffs ‘Last of Us’ Culture War Backlash
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As far as Bella Ramsey is concerned, people skipping The Last of Us because of its queer storylines is no dirt off her shoulder.
While the HBO series, which premiered last month, has drawn rave reviews, it’s courted some culture war backlash, too. Right-wing commentators like Ben Shapiro and plenty of online trolls have complained about the inclusion of a gay love story and queer characters, as if neither should exist in a show about a zombie apocalypse. (Not to mention both were part of the original Last of Us video games.)
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Of the online commotion, Ramsey, who stars as Ellie on the show, told British GQ, “I’m not particularly anxious about it. 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.”
Ramsey (who is non-binary and uses she/her and they/them pronouns) added that she’d recently visited The Last of Us writers room, where they were at work on Season Two. Ramsey said the second set of episodes will “most likely follow the storyline of the games again,” suggesting anyone in a tizzy over the widely-acclaimed third episode — about Bill and Frank, two male survivors with a decades-long relationship — really won’t be fond of what’s to come.
If the show does keep following the video game’s lead, Ellie will explore her relationship with Dina and the show will also introduce Lev, a trans teenager.
Personally, Ramsey is loving all of it, especially the Bill and Frank episode. “I was on the verge of tears throughout it, and cried at the bit in the montage when they got married.”
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