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The Last of Us season 2 premiered, and while the show has been faring well in terms of storyline and being praised as one of the rare and best video game live adaptations, not everything is sunshine for its lead star, Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in the show. In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Ramsey opened up about fans obsessing over her appearance, revealing how the non-stop scrutiny pushed her to step back from social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit. The second season also marked the end of Pedro Pascal’s character, someone very close to her, and while watching and shooting Joel’s brutal death with a golf club was already incredibly hard for Ramsey, she was also dealing with a lot behind the scenes. She was quietly battling the insane amount of online hate. “I always knew that I’d [deactivate] it one day and never even really wanted to have social media in the first place,” Ramsey said.
Also read: The Last of Us Season 2 hit by ‘dumbest’ controversy yet: Bella Ramsey backlash explained
Because The Last of Us Part II video game shows Ellie as older, stronger, and physically more “ripped,” some fans got way too obsessed with how Bella looked compared to the video game character. Some had other stars in mind who they thought would play Ellie’s character better on screen, and thus started tearing her apart for not having the exact
“body shape.” Amid intense trolling and abuse, Ramsey decided to quit social media. “It wasn’t like this big dramatic thing, but there was an element of it that was thinking about the show coming out for season two. If I just avoid Twitter and Reddit, which now I’m doing, then everything’s totally fine.”
In the same interview, Mazin said, “I’m not interested in the physical aspect, I’m interested in the emotional maturity and the change in personality. I’ve watched Bella grow and start to find her own two feet. … And I feel that in Ellie completely.” After Joel’s death, Bella officially became the show’s main lead, and carrying the whole show on her own comes with a lot of responsibility. Bella had always struggled with anxiety and even discovered she was autistic while filming season one. Acting as Ellie, a physically and emotionally intense role, while dealing with these personal challenges, took a toll. There’s even a scene later this season that Mazin said shook him. “I was scared of her. I didn’t want her to do what she was doing. She broke my heart.”
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