The Last Of Us star Bella Ramsey has cautioned critics of the hit HBO series not to watch season three – see what they had to say below.
The first season of HBO’s The Last Of Us adapted the plot of the hit video game, while the second season began to tell the story of The Last Of Us Part II. In the series, Ramsey – who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – portrays Ellie, while Pedro Pascal plays Joel Miller.
The second season of The Last Of Us may have inspired millions to try out the video game series but viewership of the finale was down 56 per cent compared to season one. There was also tension between long-term fans of the game and newcomers to the series. However, the hit show has been nominated for 16 awards at the 2025 Emmys.
Several points of contention among critics have been aimed at Ramsey since the show’s debut, some of which point at their acting chops, while others have slammed the show’s casting, arguing that Ramsey looks nothing like the character they’re based on.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last Of Us’. CREDIT: Sky/HBO
The Last Of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann also said they weren’t bothered about casting actors who looked exactly like their game counterparts. “It’s just different priorities and how you approach it,” Druckmann explained. “We need people to really capture the essence of those characters and we value performance over anything else.”
In a recent appearance on The Awardist podcast (via The Hollywood Reporter), Ramsey addressed the hate ad admitted that they try their best to “steer clear” of the show’s “louder critics”: “There’s nothing I can do about it anyway. The show is out. There’s nothing that can be changed or altered. So I’m like, there’s not really any point in reading or looking at anything.”
“People are of course entitled to their opinions. But it doesn’t affect the show, it doesn’t affect how the show continues or anything in any way. They’re very separate things to me. So no, I just don’t really engage.”
Ramsey went on to tell the show’s critics that they aren’t being forced to watch season three: “You don’t have to watch it. If you hate it that much, the game exists. You can just play the game again,” they said. “If you do want to watch it, hope you enjoy it.”
Bella Ramsey as Ellie & Isabela Merced as Dina in HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’. CREDIT: HBO
Season three will include Ramsey’s character Ellie, but will primarily focus on Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby – the antagonist of season two – and her retelling of the events that transpired in season two.
In July, it was announced that The Last Of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann would be stepping away as co-showrunner on the HBO adaptation to focus on making more games. Fellow Naughty Dog employee Halley Gross (who worked as a writer and producer on the TV show) also confirmed she’d be leaving the project. It means Mazin will have total creative control over the future of The Last Of Us.
Season two of The Last Of Us scored a four-star review from NME, with Nick Levine writing: “At its best, The Last Of Us is unsettling enough to make you question your own hypothetical moral code. When every day is about survival and making sense of post-apocalyptic chaos, does taking a life become easier, or somehow even harder? This show doesn’t just go deep narratively – it also cuts deep emotionally.”
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