Bella Ramsey remembers “terrifying” Game of Thrones fame

Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO

In 2016, Bella Ramsey made her debut on Game of Thrones as Lady Lyanna Mormont, and viewers immediately fell in love. Ramsey was very young — around 13 when that episode came out and younger when it was filmed — but Lyanna immediately came across as fierce, fun and fantastic.

We didn’t much from Ramsey at the time; as they tell LAD Bible, they were keeping a low profile, which was challenging while appearing on the biggest show on TV.  “I actually think that my journey through the industry has been done in a way that I’m really pleased about,” Ramsey said. “Like, I think we chose the right route in terms of when Game of Thrones, everything started coming out. We chose the route of doing absolutely nothing, do like no interviews, give no personal information. It was so terrifying.”

"My parents were so terrified that we just sort of kept everything very private, barely did any interviews, like three phone call interviews. And I’m really proud of that. And I’m really glad that I was up until The Last of Us, like I was fairly anonymous, even though I’ve done like, other work. That was pretty lovely. So I think that I’m pretty pleased with how it’s gone."

“And then even since ‘The Last Of Us,’ the internet knows nothing about my family or my home life or my personal life really at all, which is good. And I want to protect that.”

Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO

Bella Ramsey thinks The Last of Us season 2 will “top” season 1

As Ramsey suggests, they later went on to star in the HBO series The Last of Us, this time as one of the main players — Ellie — rather than as a tertiary character. Now 20, Ramsey is more comfortable talking to the press, but still keeps their private life mostly under wraps.

And that’s fine with us; I’m more interested in seeing more of Ramsey’s work as Ellie on the next season of The Last of Us, which likely won’t be out until 2025. “I know that that’s like the big fear, that all of us working on the show, and probably the rest of the world have, is that Season 2 isn’t going to be as good as Season 1,” Ramsey said. “But I have a lot of faith in the creators. And I think they’re spectacular. So I think I think we’re going to do great. I think we will top it.”

Bella Ramsey wants to play the Joker

One last tidbit from Ramsey before we go, and I don’t think anybody expected this one: they would like to play the Joker.

“I’ve not really played a villain yet,” Ramsey said. “So I want to play a baddy. But like a really interesting, intricate, complex baddy.” When LAD Bible suggested the Joker, Ramsey readily agreed. “Yeah. I was actually thinking that as well. The Joker, someone really interesting like that.”

Okay, why not? Bella Ramsey as the Joker in 2030.

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h/t IndieWire