The Last of Us Fans Are Still Not Over Bella Ramsey as Ellie – And Season 2 Just Made It Worse

As The Last of Us Season 2 continues its weekly rollout on HBO, one thing remains as divisive as ever: Bella Ramsey’s portrayal of Ellie. While critics have largely praised the show’s faithful emotional beats and high production value, a vocal portion of the fanbase is still not sold on Ramsey as the iconic character from Naughty Dog’s beloved video game.

Ramsey, who first stepped into Ellie’s muddy shoes in Season 1, was initially met with mixed reactions. Many fans eventually came around, citing her chemistry with Pedro Pascal (Joel) and her ability to capture Ellie’s sharp tongue and emotional vulnerability. But now that Season 2 has aged Ellie up to 19 and thrown her into a revenge-driven narrative, the criticisms have flared up again – and louder than ever.

Across Reddit, Twitter (now X), and review sites, the concerns are largely consistent. Some viewers argue that Ramsey simply doesn’t “look old enough” to play the older, more hardened version of Ellie. “She still looks and sounds like a 14-year-old,” one user wrote, “and that really takes me out of scenes where Ellie’s supposed to be intimidating or emotionally wrecked.”

Others point to the dissonance between Ramsey’s appearance and Ellie’s in the game. The most common fan-casting alternative? Cailee Spaeny. Her resemblance to the game’s Ellie has sparked countless side-by-side image comparisons and viral posts bemoaning what could have been. “The resemblance is uncanny,” one fan tweeted. “It’s like the role was just sitting there waiting for her.”

Of course, many also note that The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann had full control over casting – and he’s stood firmly behind Ramsey from the beginning.

Some of the more thoughtful critiques point not to Ramsey’s talent, but to tonal differences in her portrayal. In the game, 19-year-old Ellie is a tornado of grief and fury. In the show, that fire seems dimmed at times. “I don’t buy that this version of Ellie would walk across post-apocalyptic America just for revenge,” a Redditor wrote. “She just doesn’t seem as obsessed as she should be.”

A few even questioned the direction rather than the actress: “Maybe it’s not Bella. Maybe the showrunners are toning Ellie down on purpose. But either way, it’s not working for me.”

Still, fans generally agree that Ramsey isn’t phoning it in. Even many critics start their posts with “No hate to Bella, she’s a great actress…” before diving into their gripes.

Not all fans are ready to throw down their Molotov cocktails. In fact, a sizable group has taken to social media to defend Ramsey, arguing that she brings emotional nuance to the role – and that the hate is wildly overblown.

Some note that Ellie’s colder, more guarded demeanor in Season 2 is likely intentional, reflecting the trauma she’s endured. Others are simply tired of the same debate every week. “Bella is Ellie now,” one fan posted. “Get over it.”

Even Ashley Johnson, who voiced Ellie in the original games, has publicly supported Ramsey’s casting. And let’s not forget: Ramsey was nominated for an Emmy for Season 1. Not too shabby for someone under constant fan scrutiny.

While The Last of Us fandom is far from unified on this issue, what’s clear is that they care – a lot. The emotional investment in Ellie, shaped by hours of interactive storytelling, means any deviation hits hard. But it also means the debate, while heated, comes from a place of passion rather than pure hostility.

Ramsey still has more episodes to prove herself to the holdouts. Whether she wins them over or not, one thing is certain: she’s become a central part of one of the most talked-about shows on TV.