‘The Last of Us' Star Bella Ramsey on If They're In Season 3, Neil Druckmann's Departure and Making Emmy History

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Bella Ramsey was back up in Vancouver — where they're filmed some of 'The Last of Us' — shooting a new movie when they heard the good news: Another Emmy nomination. And making it all the more unique, their co-star is a fellow Emmy nominee: 'The White Lotus' star Carrie Coon.
In the film, 'Harmonia,' Coon plays Ramsey's mother. 'It was really lovely to be nominated with someone else while you're working together, it felt like a really nice way of it happening,' they said.
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On this week's episode of the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, 'The Last of Us' star Bella Ramsey discussed the show's recent stunning Season 2, and what might be next for their character as Season 3 takes a different turn. They also talked about exec producer Neil Druckmann's decision to depart the show to focus on his day job, and more. Listen below!
Ramsey tells Variety that even as they have grown up on camera, they feel that their approach to acting hasn't changed. 'I think there's a real blessing in starting acting when you're a kid in the way that I did, which was I wasn't doing it to make a living,' they said. 'I wasn't doing it to even really be successful. It was something that I'd never really even dreamed of. I ended up getting this audition for 'Game of Thrones' … and suddenly was on the set of 'Game of Thrones.' That was my first job. I didn't grow up in like a big film fanatic family. So I had no sort of context. I was just there having fun, getting to be somebody else all day and feel relief in that. And so I wasn't intimidated by it at all. And I think that that has continued. I'll take jobs based on what I want to do.'
A year after Season 2 of 'The Last of Us' wrapped, Ramsey looks back in awe at how they survived such a grueling shoot. 'I'm like, how the hell did I manage to to do that? It's so exhausting, physically and emotionally. You just sort of do it because you have to. And and was supported by the crew and the team.'
After Pedro Pascal exited the show (if you haven't watched yet, well, something, um, bad happens to Joel), Ramsey became No. 1 on the call sheet — something they had never experienced before. 'Being number one on the call sheet as an actor is like, you're the head of acting department. There's something in that responsibility that I really enjoy. And sort of dictate, in a way, how the environment that cast members are coming into and be like is.'
'The Last of Us' game creator and series exec producer Neil Druckmann recently announced they were leaving the show, and Ramsey said it will be an adjustment — but that the show doesn't change. 'The world of 'The Last of Us' is his creation, and so his voice and creative input. It doesn't just go away in Season 3 because he's not as actively involved. It will always be his creation. And we're always in everything that we do, honoring the game and Neil's creation. He'll definitely be missed on set. But his spirit is the story.'
So, how much will we see of Ellie, Ramsey's character, in Season 3? 'I sort of know, but I can't tell you, I'm afraid,' they said.
Meanwhile, Ramsey also addressed the fact that they recently made history by becoming the first openly nonbinary performer to be nominated multiple times. 'I didn't know any of this until someone sent me a headline,' they said. 'It was kind of a lovely thing to to see that people would like been thinking about that. I guess what has come out of it, for me, has been representation.'
Also on this episode, the Awards Circuit Roundtable looks at CBS' 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' cancelation, and what it means for late night, the Emmys and democracy.
Variety's 'Awards Circuit' podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, 'Awards Circuit' features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.
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