Actor Spotlights are features examining the careers and impacts of talented performers working in film and television. The latest looks at Bella Ramsey, perhaps best known for starring in HBO series Game of Thrones and the Last of Us.
Check out our previous Actor Spotlight features on stars such as Titus Welliver, Jack Quaid and more.
Game of Thrones (2016-2019)
Bella Ramsey’s first “big break” was perhaps a recurring role as Lady Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones.
Appearing from season 6 to season 8, the young character served as the head of House Mormont of Bear Island.
In particular, Ramsey’s performance caught attention, with The Hollywood Reporter dubbing them as the “breakout star” of Season 6.
In a 2023 interview with LadBible, Ramsey addressed navigating the fame attached to their Game of Thrones role.
The actor said: “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, doing no interviews, give no personal information, just like it was so terrifying.”
They added: “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.”
The Last of Us (2022 – present)
Ramsey continued their relationship with HBO by landing the lead role of “Ellie” in The Last Of Us.
Adapted from a hugely popular video game, the premise depicts a society twenty years into a pandemic and infested by zombie-esque creatures.
Ramsey’s character, “Ellie”, is a 14-year-old girl immune to the infection who may be the key to creating a vaccine.
Fellow Game of Thrones actor Pedro Pascal appears opposite Ramsey as fellow survivor “Joel”.
While Ashley Johnson, who played Ellie in the video game, guest-starred as the character’s mother in the TV series.
Ramsey told Deadline Hollywood in 2023: “I feel Ellie came very naturally to me and I didn’t have to try very hard.
“My American personality is Ellie because I learned the American accent through Ellie’s dialogue.
“So now, whenever I speak in an American accent, for whatever reason, I become Ellie.”
The Worst Witch (2017-2020)
His Dark Materials (2020)
Besides HBO dramas, Ramsey has also worked in their native UK.
One such example is playing “Mildred Hubble” in children’s fantasy drama series The Worst Witch.
The early plot follows Mildred learning that she is a witch, despite having come from a non-witching family.
Joining the character are friends Maud Spellbody and Enid Nightshade, as they all embark on their education at Cackle’s Academy.
Although the programme aired from 2017 to 2020, Ramsey appeared in a guest role for the fourth and final series.
Instead, Lydia Paige took on the role of Mildred in Ramsey’s absence.
Speaking to Elle in 2023, the actor addressed the reasons behind leaving The Worst Witch: “I know it’s sort of been publicized a lot that I left [The Worst Witch] for mental health reasons.
“I would say the more accurate description is that I had resolved a lot of my mental health problems by that point.
“And then the idea was that, ‘I’m not going to do this fourth season because it’s not worth it, because I’m in a better place now.
“This is not something that I want to continue to string out and have the recurring issues that stem from that first season. I don’t need or want to do this anymore.’”
In addition, Ramsey appeared in six episodes of fantasy drama His Dark Materials, based on Philip Pullman’s books.
The actor portrayed Angelica, a girl living in Cittàgazze alongside sister Paola (Ella Schrey-Yeats).
Hilda (2018-2023)
Hilda and the Mountain King (2021)
In addition to live-action work, Bella Ramsey has also worked on animated projects.
From 2018 to 2023, she voiced the titular role in Netflix supernatural comedy-drama Hilda. The premise followed a fearless blue-haired 11-year-old who moves to the fictitious city Trolberg after their old home was destroyed by a giant.
Accompanied by a group of friends, Hilda goes on several adventures and befriends dangerous creatures along the way.
The show was based on Luke Pearson’s graphic novel series of the same name; with Pearson also serving as an executive producer.
In an Instagram post marking the show ending, Ramsey wrote: “Hilda has been a huge part of my life for 7 years. I’ve only been acting for 9.
“And I say huge part of my life, because recording Hilda meant that I would regularly take the train down to London with my mum, or occasionally my dad.
“Our train would arrive into St Pancras, and we would walk from there to [Soho Square Studios]. be given tea, sit in the little downstairs waiting area, and then be taken into the studio by [Dave Peacock].”
In 2021, mid-way through Hilda’s run, a film titled Hilda and the Mountain King was released on Netflix. It aired between the second and third seasons.
Becoming Elizabeth (2022)
Time (2023)
Ramsey also took on a starring role in historical drama series Becoming Elizabeth, which followed the younger years of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century.
The actor took on the role of Jane Grey, a noblewoman also known as the “Nine Days Queen”. She earned this moniker having claimed the throne of England and Ireland from July 10 to July 19, 1553.
German actress Alicia von Rittberg played Elizabeth, while other main cast members included Ramola Garai, Tom Cullen and Jamie Parker among others.
Ramsey told ScreenRant in 2022: “I was learning more about Jane Grey, basically how she’s related to the throne and how all of her time in court came about.
“I knew quite a lot about her anyway, just from growing up locally, and I actually did my audition at the remains of her residence. She’s very much a local, well-known figure.”
Meanwhile, Bella Ramsey also starred in series two of BBC anthology drama Time, which follows the lives of different prison inmates and staff.
The actor took on the role of Kelsey Morgan, a pregnant heroin addict and repeat offender.
As well as Bella Ramsey, series two also featured the likes of Jodie Whittaker and Siobhan Finneran.
Holmes & Watson (2018)
Catherine Called Birdy (2022)
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)
Ramsey has also ventured comedic work, such as their appearances in Holmes & Watson.
Inspired, of course, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stories, this iteration featured Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the titular protagonists.
Some of Doyle’s other characters also appeared, including Professor Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes), Inspector Lestrade (Rob Brydon), Mrs Hudson (Kelly Macdonald) and Mycroft Holmes (Hugh Laurie).
Ramsey, meanwhile, co-starred as “Flotsam”.
They took on a more central role in medieval comedy film Catherine Called Birdy. In fact, they played the title character, a 14-year-old girl living in 13th century Lincolnshire, England.
Coincidentally, the cast included several other Game of Thrones actors: Paul Kaye (Thoros of Myr), Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon), David Bradley (Walder Frey) and Ralph Ineson (Dagmer Cleftjaw).
For their performance, Ramsey earned a nomination for the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.
Taking on an animated role, Ramsey lent their voice to Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, a long-awaited sequel to 2000’s Chicken Run.
The sequel’s premise followed Rocky (Zachary Levi) and Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) on a rescue mission after their old enemy Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) takes their daughter to a highly-advanced poultry farm.
Ramsey voiced Molly, the daughter in question, a new character introduced in the second film.
Follow writer Conor O’Brien on Twitter/X
A lifelong TV and Film buff, Conor founded Courageous Nerd in 2019. He has conducted hundreds of interviews for the site, as well as written comprehensive feature articles on a variety of topics. You can find him on X: @conorrcn.
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