Original game director and The Last of Us HBO TV series co-creator Neil Druckmann details what made Bella Ramsey's audition as Ellie unique. The Last of Us adapts the homonymous game franchise directed by Druckmann. The story sees survivors Joel and Ellie journey across an apocalyptic United States to find a possible answer to the virus that's been plaguing the world. Ellie appears to be the way to a cure for the virus, as Joel discovers the girl is immune. That makes Ellie the most important person in The Last of Us, which is why getting the casting right was extremely necessary for the HBO adaptation.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, HBO's The Last of Us co-showrunner Druckmann explained how Ramsey showed she was the right choice for Ellie in her audition. Pedro Pascal as Joel is perfect casting, so Ellie should obviously reflect that decision. The showrunner revealed that, while watching Ramsey in the audition, "Bella felt so real", not like watching an actor. The Last of Us show creator, Craig Mazin, reportedly reached out to Ramsey's former bosses on Game of Thrones, who assured him she was “an absolute joy on set”. Check out Druckmann's comment below:
“It was like Ellie realized in live action. It didn’t feel like watching an actor.”
Why Bella Ramsey Is The Perfect Ellie Choice
The Last of Us has Ellie as the central protagonist of its universe, despite Joel being the main playable character of the first game. When The Last of Us Part II debuted, Ellie was the star of the game. HBO's The Last of Us show features important scenes from the game, as shown in the trailer, that will inform Ellie's journey into becoming the hardened survivor the sequel game showed. Series creators Mazin and Druckmann have talked about how their plan is to adapt the games, with The Last of Us season 1 covering the full first game. The creative team wants to stick to the source material and plans to end the show whenever it runs out, which could be after season 2.
With the TV series possibly adapting both games in only two seasons, Ellie's actress needed to be someone young enough to play Ellie's original innocent game persona and that could authentically be seen by audiences as the action-heavy version from the sequel game with little time in-between seasons. Ramsey's performance as Lyanna Mormont on HBO's own Game of Thrones shows that the team behind The Last of Us nailed Ellie's casting.
What Other Actresses Almost Played Ellie In The Past?
While Ramsey seems like the perfect fit for Ellie, two other actresses have come close to the part before, although it wasn't for the HBO series. A live-action The Last of Us movie, with Spider-Man's Sam Raimi attached, entered development hell after work started in 2014 and never got made. One of the actresses who talked with Druckmann early on about the role of Ellie in the movie was Ramsey's Game of Thrones co-star Maisie Williams, who played Arya Stark in the show. Another actress got to do a table read for the part - Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart). Despite not getting the role, Dever was a popular fan-cast for Ellie on social media, however, Dever and the previous Ellie candidates had aged out of consideration when The Last of Us series came around.
Source: THR