The Last Of Us Star Bella Ramsey Speaks on Ellie’s Upcoming Evolution in Season 2: ‘She’s a Little Harder…’

Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie on HBO’s beloved series The Last of Us, opened up about their character’s journey through the show. Since the gap between the first season and the upcoming sophomore season is five years, characters have essentially changed from before. 

Speaking to Deadline on Saturday, April 5, Ramsey teased that their character has evolved tremendously in season 2. The Game of Thrones actor revealed that they wanted Ellie to have more depth, maturity, and heaviness. 

“I think she’s a little harder, she’s a bit more like Joel … but also she’s still the same person, like she still has the same sense of humor,” Ramsey teased. 

The sophomore season would see a rift between Ellie (Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) as they settle into the fortified city of Jackson, Wyoming.. The trailer showed Ellie yelling at Joel, “You swore,” she screamed, hinting at the challenges they pair will face in the upcoming season. 

Ramsey told the outlet that Ellie still has doubts about the lie Joel told her at the end of season one. “I think that plays a big part in the shift in the relationship,” the actor added. However, they admitted to feeling bad about being “cold” to Pascal’s character. 

They teased that season 2 will definitely be sadder than season one and will get more sad and cold as the season progresses. The actor also revealed that the Last of Us cast and crew were amazed by the unexpected warm reception of the debut season. 

Since the series is based on a video game, the creators wanted to do justice to the fans of the game and simultaneously allow new people who aren’t familiar with the game to have an equally enjoyable experience. We were really proud of it,” they added. 

The Last of Us season 2 will be released on HBO and Max on April 13, 2025.