Bella Ramsey has candidly admitted that they regret coming out as non-binary so publicly.
The Nottingham-born actor, 21, first made their name as Game of Thrones pocket rocket Lady Lyanna Mormont, starring in nine episodes between 2016 and 2019.
Soon after, they were cast as Ellie in the 2023 TV adaptation of 2013 video game The Last of Us, which received widespread acclaim and attention from critics and viewers alike.
The zombie apocalypse series is now back for its second season, with TV critics continuing to describe it as the gold standard for video game adaptations on-screen.
But amid the praise for Bella’s performance as Ellie, the young actor has made the sad admission that the reaction to them coming out as non-binary has made ‘part of [them] regret’ the decision.
Bella revealed in a 2021 New York Times interview that they were genderfluid and used they/them pronouns, adding: ‘Being gendered isn’t something I particularly like.’
Now, speaking to The Observer, the His Dark Materials star said that while they are still comfortable being non-binary, coming out so publicly is something they wish they could take back.
‘Part of me looks back and I wish that I didn’t,’ they began. ‘I didn’t want it to become a headline and a big thing. Obviously it was going to [but] I didn’t really understand that at the time.
‘I wasn’t really prepared for [the reaction]. But on the other hand, people have said to me that it’s been very helpful for them seeing some representation.’
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They continued: ‘So it’s been a mixed bag, but overall, I think it was a good thing, just for me living more freely, without feeling like I’m keeping a secret.’
In the interview four years ago, Bella explained that while they didn’t mind people using she/her pronouns to describe them, being referred to with he/him pronouns felt ‘exciting’.
After speaking to Wired this week, Bella clarified their position on their pronouns and said: ‘[My pronouns] are whatever you fancy really. A lot of people call me they, some people call me she, and occasionally I get a he.
‘I’m sort of whatever. I’m pretty chill about it all for now. Maybe that’ll change, but for now…’
However, Bella did confess to Vogue that trying to figure out her gender identity has been made more difficult by not being able to do it in private.
‘Part of the job of being an actor is that you’re supposed to have an answer to every question that people ask you,’ they told the magazine earlier this month.
‘But actually the answer can be, “I don’t know and I’m not ready to talk about that.” If I did want to explore other things, like facets of my gender identity, that would be done publicly’.
They continued: ‘As much as I would try and keep it private, if someone recognises me on the street, say if I’m presenting differently, [and] takes a photo, then that is just talked about.’
The Last of Us is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NowTV, with new episodes released on Mondays.
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