Bella Ramsey Says Ellie Is ‘More Like Joel’ In TLOU Season 2

The Last of Us Season 2 is just one week away. Ahead of its release, Bella Ramsey shared new details about their character, Ellie, in the upcoming season.

The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama TV series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. It is based on the award-winning video game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog, which Druckmann also wrote. The plot is set 20 years after a global pandemic caused by the Cordyceps fungus broke out, turning people into violent zombie-like creatures. The story follows two survivors: a hardened smuggler, Joel (Pedro Pascal), and Ellie (Ramsey), a teenager immune to the virus who could potentially pave the way for a cure. There are several concerns about Ramsey’s character in Season 2, especially her physical and mental transformation compared to Ellie’s changes in The Last of Us Part II were evident. Ramsey acknowledged the evolution of their character in The Last of Us Season 2.

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Ramsey joined Mazin and Druckmann on Saturday on Deadline‘s Contenders TV. During the discussion, Ramsey spoke about Ellie’s transformation five years after the event in Season 1. According to the actor, when they filmed, they wanted Ellie’s burden to be visible to the audience. They admitted that while some parts of Ellie remained the same, she wasn’t completely the same person because, this time, “she’s a little harder.” “In Season 2, I wanted to feel her heaviness a bit more,” Ramsey explained. They added:

Ellie Is Not The Same Person She Was In The First Season Of The Last of Us

The Last of Us Season 2 trailer includes a scene showcasing the tension between Joel and Ellie, with the latter reminding the former, “You swore.” Ramsey admitted that there would be changes in the two characters’ dynamic in Season 2 because Joel lied to Ellie in Season 1. In the first season, Joel tells Ellie after she wakes up from the drugs that they conducted tests and others like her were immune to the virus, but the doctors couldn’t make their experiment work. However, Joel killed the Fireflies, including the head surgeon, to save Ellie because if he allowed them to study her brain for a potential vaccine, she would have died. Ramsey said Joel’s lie in the first season “plays a big part in the shift in the relationship” between him and Ellie. They added that the pair would have a “cold” relationship and that it wasn’t easy for them to play the role. They explained:

Ramsey’s statement about Ellie and Joel’s relationship in The Last of Us Season 2 is heartbreaking. The two characters develop a close bond, like a father and daughter. Joel lost his daughter Sarah during the first episode, and Ellie somewhat filled the emptiness. Their journey together as they fight for their survival brings them closer. So, the tension brewing between the two and Ellie being cold to Joel will not be easy to watch. To make matters worse, Joel will (assumedly) die, so Ellie giving him the cold shoulder and resenting him for saving her life only to lose him for good will be devastating for viewers. In the second video game, which inspires the second season, Abby (Kaitlyn Denver) kills Joel to avenge the death of her father, the surgeon that Joel killed in the first game to save Ellie. Get ready for the tears to flow.

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on HBO and Max on April 13, 2025.

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Source: Deadline