The Last of Us actor Bella Ramsey has shared that they don’t feel they have “access to femininity” and have “always felt more masculine”.
While promoting The Last of Us season one back in 2023, the actor explained that they identify as non-binary and prefer using they/them pronouns.
In a conversation on the new season of the The Louis Theroux Podcast, the Emmy-nominated star said they found the concept of choosing their pronouns “stressful”, and only had to confront the fact when asked how they wanted to be referred to while on set of The Last of Us.
Bella Ramsey plays the lead role of LGBTQ+ survivalist Ellie Williams in HBO’s hit post-apocalyptic series.
In season two, Ellie enters into a queer relationship with fellow apocalypse survivor Dina, played by Isabela Merced, who also identifies as LGBTQ+.
Speaking to podcast host Louis Theroux, Ramsey said that they “grew up more as a little boy” and have never felt female. While attempting to understand their own identity, they have listened to people on “both sides” of the so-called “gender-critical” argument.
“I’ve been trying my own journey, I guess, understanding what it actually is. Because there’s been a lot of times I’m like, what even is the neurology of, or the psychology of being non-binary. I rejected that word for so long by the way, because I didn’t want it to be trendy,” Ramsey shared.
“It’s been very obvious since I was young. I always called myself a tomboy, but it wasn’t that I was a boyish girl, I was always like a bit of an in-between. Leaning most on the boy side. To be honest, I grew up more as a little boy than I did a little girl. I always felt more masculine or more on that side of the spectrum. I guess at the moment I don’t feel like I have access to femininity.”
The 21-year-old actor said that they feel that “exploring femininity” doesn’t necessarily “serve [their] purpose” as they are often trying to “avoid being perceived as a woman”.
They went on to share that they sometimes “feel a bit sad” about not being able to access their femininity.
“Like the idea of femininity being something that I think is so beautiful, but me not feeling like I have any access to it at the moment,” they shared, adding that they would like to be in touch with their feminine side, “…but within a masculine mould, you know how there’s more feminine guys, the whole Harry Style’s wearing a dress. That’s what it is.
“It’s femininity within the structure of masculinity, I suppose.”
The former Game of Thrones actor also took a moment to reflect on how they feel when engaging with gender-critical arguments online, sharing that they find it “a bit scary”.
“There’s an element of that makes me question everything, but I can’t deny how I have felt all my life and how other people that I know have felt like all their lives. It is a real thing. It just is,” they affirmed.
“I’m watching it with an open mind and a really critical eye, critically thinking about it all. I’m watching it to try and understand and to try and be more secure in my own beliefs. And to know why I believe what I do.”
