Bella Ramsey diagnosed with autism while filming The Last of Us after crew member spotted signs

The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has revealed they were diagnosed with autism while filming the first season of the hit HBO drama.

The Game of Thrones alum, who plays Ellie in the hit HBO drama, spoke candidly to British Vogue about receiving their diagnosis partway through filming season one in Canada.

It was a crew member who had an autistic daughter who first noticed the signs and gently raised the possibility.

Ramsey said, “I got diagnosed with autism when I was filming season one of The Last of Us.”

“I’ve spoken a bit about neurodivergence before, but I always for some reason didn’t want to.”

That moment prompted Ramsey, who identifies as non-binary, to seek a psychiatric evaluation, which confirmed the autism diagnosis.

Reflecting on their early experiences, Ramsey recalled feeling out of step with peers during school and more at ease in adult company.

They also described sensory sensitivities typical among autistic individuals, including discomfort with physical sensations and a heightened awareness of others’ facial expressions and body language.

Ramsey said the cold-weather shoot in Canada made costumes a bit tricky. The waterproof layers and thermal gear felt like a lot, describing it as “too much stuff on my body.”

Despite those difficulties, Ramsey spoke about the ways autism has supported their development as an actor. They described how studying social behaviours and learning routines has helped their performance.

They said, “I’ve always been watching and learning from people.”

“Having to learn more manually how to socialize and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting.”

They credited the structure of production life - set routines, clear directions, and defined roles, as something that suits their needs.

Ramsey said, “I have a call time, and I’m told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand and what to eat.”

Describing the diagnosis as “freeing,” Ramsey said it has given them space to be more compassionate with themselves and to feel more comfortable sharing their experience.

They concluded, “My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person. There’s no reason for people not to know.”