Bella Ramsey was all of 12 years old when she first appeared on Game of Thrones as Lyanna Mormont in the show’s sixth season, and even younger when she was cast. She started in this business young, and it’s paid off for her. Lyanna Mormont became a fan favorite on Thrones, and now she’s at the head of one of the most popular new shows to come out in the last few years: HBO’s zombie drama The Last of Us.
Ramsey can pretty much write her own ticket in Hollywood for the foreseeable future, but breaking in was no easy task. In an interview clip shared by @sourkettle, Ramsey remembered one of her early auditioning experience:
bella ramsey saying they didn’t get casted in a project because they didn’t have the “Hollywood look” makes me feel so sad pic.twitter.com/JY564J0XS6
— ket ༂ (@sourkettle) March 25, 2023
"I was told at one of my first auditions ever…that…the director really liked me but I didn’t get the part because I didn’t have the Hollywood look. And that’s something that I’ve always found very interesting."
Again, Ramsey was only 12 when she first appeared on Game of Thrones and even younger when she auditioned, so this happened before that. Can you imagine being at that age and being told by an adult that you can’t help a job because of the way you look?
The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey turned down for a job because she didn’t have “the Hollywood look”
The idea that Hollywood is shallow and focused on looks won’t come as a surprise to many people, but it’s still depressing to hear about it from someone who was only a child at the time. Now 19, Ramsey seems to have a good perspective on the incident. If she wants to, she now has the cache to go very far in this business, but you can’t help but wonder how many other actors get discouraged by an industry that often values looks over talent.
Ramsey will return as Ellie in the second season of The Last of Us on HBO, which probably won’t be out until late 2024 at the earliest.
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