The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey opens up about incredible support from "gay army"
The Last Of Us – easily one of the biggest television series of 2023. The show has been gaining millions of fans with every episode since it premiered in early January, with queer viewers particularly invested thanks to powerful storylines that provide visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.I’m hardly the first person to tweet this, but bloody hell #TheLastOfUs is so good ain’t it?
Every week you think surely it can’t keep having such an impact, yet it just gets better and better. @BellaRamsey’s performance in episode 8 is unbelievable and deserves all the awards!
pic.twitter.com/qkDEsLRMCJ— Jack Rafferty (@JackRaff) March 7, 2023While the representation has resulted in rave reviews from some, the series has also received backlash from homophobic viewers, and a kissing scene between Ellie and Riley (played by Storm Reid) was censored in several countries.Despite the online criticism, Ramsey continues to express optimism about the future of LGBTQ+ content on mainstream series, saying that haters will just have to get used to it.
They credit this positivity to all of the love they continue to feel from the messages of support they receive from audiences, ultimately overpowering the criticisms of “homophobic trolls”.Bella Ramsey on the positive response of The Last of Us HBO and Ramsey’s persona:“I’ve had people message me and say that it’s helped people come to terms with who they are," “That’s been really nice to hear as well.
