The Last of Us actress Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in the upcoming HBO series, has revealed that she was encouraged to stay away from the original game by developer Naughty Dog.
The Last of Us series deals with the plot of the first game.
HBO
During an interview with USA Today Ramsey explained that after her first audition for the role, she was asked if she had played the game. She replied that she hadn’t done it yet and was told he was okay anyway.
– I was actually encouraged not to. After my first audition they asked me if I had played it. I said no and they said “go ahead”.
Exactly why that was the series creators’ statement didn’t come out in the interview. Maybe the director was hoping to avoid him trying to emulate the game’s Ellie too much, rather than making her the role of her, but that’s just speculation.
Ramsey claims he watched some gameplay on YouTube, to get a feel for what The Last of Us actually looks like. After a year of recording, the 19-year-old says she is now looking forward to the series premiere in 2023.
The plot of the series deals with the events of the first game in the series. Joel – played by Pedro Pascal – and Ellie must do their best to survive in a post-apocalyptic world full of dangers – including zombie-like “clickers”, as well as other desperate people.
Watch the first trailer for HBO’s The Last of Us »
