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The Last Of Us bosses explain why recasting Bella Ramsey's Ellie was never an option

15 April 2025, 15:43

The Last of Us bosses never considered recasting Ellie once. Picture: Joe Maher/Getty Images, HBO

By Katie Louise Smith

"We've considered recasting Bella...exactly zero percent."

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Recasting the role of Ellie in The Last of Us season 2? Replacing Bella Ramsey? Not on Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's watch!

The Last of Us season 2 takes place five years after the events of season 1's big divisive finale, with Ellie going from a young sassy 14-year-old to a complex brooding 19-year-old.

And ever since season 2 was confirmed by HBO, fans have been divided over whether or not they think Bella could pull off the 5-year transformation.

Following on from the discourse, co-showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have now shut down any lingering doubts about Bella's casting and explains why they're perfect to portray the character in season 2.

Watch The Last of Us season 2 weeks ahead trailer

Speaking to GamesRadar, showrunners Craig and Neil reveal the thought of recasting Ellie didn't cross their mind once.

"We've considered recasting Bella exactly zero percent," Neil said, before Craig added: "I've spent so much time with them, and I've watched them grow up from a 17-year-old now to a 21-year-old. And at our age, four years doesn't mean a damn thing. But 17 to 21 is massive."

"So, Bella themself has changed and evolved quite a lot," he continued. "It's funny– even my relationship with Bella [...] they were like my kid. And then it was sort of like you have to let them go a bit and now let them be their own person more."

"And that's why I think Ellie seems older, because Bella is older. And in fact, Bella is older than Ellie is in the show."

The Last of Us showrunners on Bella Ramsey pic.twitter.com/L0dQCAfIDt
— GamesRadar+ (@GamesRadar) April 7, 2025

Ultimately, Bella's portrayal of Ellie is rooted in emotional growth rather than the physical.

While Bella actually did do quite a bit of fight training to become stronger and more adept in hand-to-hand combat, Craig and Neil wanted Bella's performance to be "about the heart and soul."

"And I think they did an incredible job," Craig continued. "We didn't actually do anything to age them up. We just wrote the character to be older. And, big surprise, Bella Ramsey portrays it gorgeously."

Summing up Bella's incredible performance in season 2, Neil added: "When you're watching Bella perform you can just see this maturity behind their eyes that seems very simple and it's very difficult to pull off. Very few actors can pull it off the way that they have."