Bella Ramsey says The Last of Us fans made fun of the way she looks when she was cast

Bella Ramsey has opened-up about the effects of being trolled over her appearance by fans after being cast in The Last of Us.

The 19-year-old actor has received heaps of praise for her performance as Ellie in the critically acclaimed HBO adaption of the popular video game of the same name.

After the nine-episode first season concluded earlier this month, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the strong and witty teen.

While the reception from fans has been overwhelmingly positive, it wasn’t always like this.

When Ramsey’s casting was first announced, the news was met with some mean and hateful comments from gamers who were upset with how the actor looked compared to the character from the game.

Ramsey said ‘everyone’ made fun of her ‘square head’, which led to her doom-scrolling on social media to see the most awful comments.

"You’re looking for a comment that’s more painful than the last one,” they shared with GQ UK. "I’d kid myself that I was doing it in jest."

HBO

Sadly, the comments still have a negative effect on Ramsay to this day, with them admitting: "I wish I could say that I was confident enough [already] that it hasn’t affected me in any way, but it has."

Despite the negative comments about her performance, Ramsey said they are proud of the work they have done.

“I’m just glad I could do that for them and for the show and for Ellie. I want to do her justice.”

More recently, Ramsey was praised for her incredible performance in the nail-biting eighth episode, which saw Ellie fight David (Scott Shepherd) and eventually kill him using a cleaver.

“Bella Ramsey deserves an EMMY just for this episode alone,” one Twitter user declared.

“@BellaRamsey an Emmy is waiting for you #tlou #TheLastOfUs #TheLastOfUsep8,” another fan said, while a third viewer tweeted: “Bella Ramsey earned that Emmy nomination 1000 times over again.”

HBO

Ramsey seemingly had a wonderful time on set working with her co-star Pedro Pascal and the rest of the team.

In the same interview, she revealed: "I love it so much. And the people: [showrunner] Craig [Mazin], Pedro. I want to spend all my time with them. I’ve gained two fathers, in a way.”

She’s also hoping to film many more seasons of The Last of Us: "Signing on to a series is such a risk, because if I hate this, then I’m potentially tied into it for years.

"I didn’t want to be tied into something I didn’t enjoy. But I would honestly do this for years."