Bella Ramsey, who stars as Ellie in the hit HBO series The Last of Us, revealed that they were non-binary in 2023. Ramsey indicated that they were also gender-fluid and preferred “they/them” pronouns. Now in 2025, Ramsey is saying that “part of me” regrets coming out as non-binary.
While Ramsey still identifies as non-binary, it seems as though the media attention was more than they cared to receive. The actor explained this while speaking with The Guardian. It seems as though they didn’t anticipate what kind of headlines the news was going to make.
Here’s what they shared on that front:
“Part of me looks back and I wish that I didn’t, because I didn’t want it to become a headline and a big thing.
“And obviously it was going to, and I didn’t really understand that at the time. And I wasn’t really prepared for that.”
With that said, Ramsey notes it is still a “mixed bag,” especially because some people have found Ramsey’s coming out as “very helpful” in creating more representation. Here’s what else they shared:
“Overall, I think it was a good thing, just for me living more freely, without feeling like I’m keeping a secret,” Ramsey added.
“But now I’m like, ‘I’ll talk about it, but I don’t want it to be the focus any more’.
“I guess I’m just quite chill with it. And I want everyone else to be as chill with it basically.”
The first season of The Last of Us aired in 2023 when Bella Ramsey first discussed their non-binary gender identity. With the popularity of the series at the time, it was no surprise that the reveal made headlines. Now that they’re commenting on the matter at the same time as the show’s second season has started airing, it seems as though they’ve kickstarted yet another conversation on gender identity and their role within the series.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Bella Ramsey and the HBO series The Last of Us as we have them. For now, fans can tune into the second season of the show as it airs weekly.