Bella Ramsey opens up about finding self-expression in online gaming

Bella Ramsey recently offered insights into their gender identity, revealing that online gaming played a key role in their self-discovery.

The Last of Us star, who garnered recognition for portraying Ellie in the 2023 season, praised the anonymity of the virtual world.

In an exclusive interview with Them magazine, they shared, “When you get to choose a girl character or a boy character, I would pick the boy one because I could. Gaming is such an amazing place to explore. I think there is often a narrative of it not being a safe space, and in some cases, yes, but in so many others, it is such a free and open space.”

The 21-year-old also revealed that the popular children’s game Club Penguin played a major role in their gender exploration.

They added, “Club Penguin is where I explored my gender identity. My penguin was called Tomboy Bella and was red. I did Karate on the freaking Karate Hill. I was loving life in Club Penguin world. You can be whoever you want behind that avatar.”

Later in the interview, the Game of Thrones alum expressed a desire to portray a trans or non-binary character in the future.

“I’ve never played a nonbinary person in anything or a trans person.” Bella said. “Getting to do that would feel very special. I wanted to be challenged, continually challenged.”

On the professional front, Bella has earned critical acclaim for their performances in The Last of Us and Game of Thrones.