Bella Ramsey reveals "freeing" autism diagnosis thanks to Last Of Us crew member
21 March 2025, 19:55
Bella was diagnosed during The Last of Us season 1 when a crew member spotted behaviours that aligned with autism.
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The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey has opened up about how "freeing" and "liberating" it's been to receive their autism diagnosis.
In a brand new interview with British Vogue, Bella – who is just about to reprise their role as Ellie in season 2 of the HBO series – shared that they had been diagnosed after a crew member with a daughter who has autism noticed their behaviour and assumed that Bella had it too.
"I’ve spoken a bit about neurodivergence before, but I always for some reason didn’t want to say what it was,” Bella said. “I got diagnosed with autism when I was filming season one of ‘The Last of Us.'"
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Opening up further about their diagnosis, Bella went on to explain that the formal psychiatric assessment confirmed something that they had “always wondered” about.
Bella shared that, as a child, they had always felt out of place, describing themselves as a “weirdo” and “loner”. They also usually felt more comfortable around adults than the people their own age.
Bella also explained, per the profile write-up, that they have 'sensory issues common to people on the autism spectrum and their painful hyperawareness of other people’s micro-expressions and body language'.
With their official diagnosis, Bella also opened up about how their autism actually improves and benefits their acting.
"I’ve always been watching and learning from people," they said. "Having to learn more manually how to socialise and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting.”
Speaking about their on-set routine, they added: “I have a call time, and I’m told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand and what to eat.”
Ultimately, Bella has found that their diagnosis is "freeing", adding it has enabled them to "walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do."
Read more about The Last of Us here:
- The Last Of Us season 2 will only be seven episodes long
- The Last Of Us' Kaitlyn Dever Had Extra Security On Season 2 Set Because Of Abby Hatred
- The Last of Us fans can't believe Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey never had a chemistry read
- Bella Ramsey is worried the Pedro Pascal "daddy" comments have gone too far
- Bella Ramsey says they lost roles as a child after being told they didn't have the "Hollywood look"
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