Ellie The Last of Us: Actress, Story & Facts Guide

Voiced by in games: Ashley Johnson · Portrayed by in HBO show: Bella Ramsey · Age in The Last of Us Part I: 14 · Setting: Post-apocalyptic America · Key trait: Immune to Cordyceps infection

The table below summarizes key facts about Ellie’s portrayal across media.

Who plays Ellie in The Last of Us?

Two actresses have brought Ellie to life across different media, each bringing distinct strengths to the role. The transition from game to screen has been scrutinized by fans worldwide, but both performances have earned critical acclaim in their own right.

Game voice actress

Ashley Johnson has been Ellie’s voice since the original 2013 game debuted. As a performance capture artist, Johnson provided not only the character’s voice but also her physical movements, facial expressions, and emotional range. The result was an Ellie that players around the world grew to love across two full games and countless hours of gameplay.

Johnson also appears in the HBO series, though in a different role—she plays Anna, Ellie’s mother, in the show’s flashback sequences. This creates a unique link between the game’s original portrayal and the television adaptation. According to EssentiallySports (gaming and esports analysis outlet), Johnson felt an instant protective instinct towards Bella Ramsey upon meeting, describing it as feeling like she was meeting the real Ellie straight from the game.

The implication: Johnson saw something essential in Ramsey that mirrored her own portrayal—not just talent, but an authenticity that made the character feel alive.

HBO show actress

Bella Ramsey, an English actress, was cast as Ellie after a casting call from showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Ramsey received the call while working on another project and immediately researched the game to prepare for her audition. According to YouTube (behind-the-scenes feature), Ramsey trained obsessively to capture Ellie’s essence, including mastering an American accent and studying the game’s original performance.

Before Season 2 filming, Ramsey underwent Brazilian jiu-jitsu training for 2 months in Vancouver to prepare for the role’s physical demands. Director Craig Mazin knew Ramsey was right for the part from her very first audition tape, famously stating: “In my mind, I was like, if we don’t cast Bella as Ellie, then I will go to my grave knowing that we could have made a better show than we did.” This quote, reported by Elle (entertainment and culture publication), reveals just how certain the showrunner was about the casting choice.

Is Ellie LGBTQ in the game?

Ellie’s sexuality has been a defining aspect of her character since The Last of Us Part II expanded her story in 2020. Naughty Dog made her queer identity central to the narrative, not as a footnote or background detail, but as a driver of the game’s emotional core.

Ellie’s relationships

In The Last of Us Part II, Ellie’s romantic relationship with Dina becomes a central plot thread. Their connection develops throughout the game and faces significant challenges as the story unfolds. Dina herself becomes a key character whose fate intertwines with Ellie’s journey for vengeance and self-discovery.

The game also features an earlier relationship in Ellie’s backstory, though Naughty Dog kept these details somewhat ambiguous in the original release. What became clear, however, was that Ellie’s identity as a lesbian was never hidden or downplayed by the developers.

Canon representation

Naughty Dog’s decision to feature queer romance prominently was praised by critics and LGBTQ+ gamers alike. According to EssentiallySports, even Ashley Johnson has spoken publicly about the importance of this representation, noting how Ellie allows queer players to see themselves in a powerful, complex protagonist.

The HBO series has maintained this aspect of Ellie’s character, depicting her relationship with Dina in subsequent seasons. This commitment to authentic representation has resonated with both longtime fans of the games and new viewers who discovered the franchise through HBO.

Why did they change Ellie’s face?

The visual differences between game Ellie and HBO Ellie became one of the first flashpoints in the adaptation debate. Fans who had spent dozens of hours with Ashley Johnson’s facial capture understandably had strong expectations—but adaptation logic demanded a different approach.

Game to show differences

Game Ellie was designed using Ashley Johnson’s actual face as a reference point, creating an immediate visual link between actress and character. HBO’s adaptation, however, needed to balance faithfulness to Ellie’s spirit with practical casting realities. According to Elle, there was initial backlash to Bella Ramsey’s casting specifically because of these visual differences from the game’s original Ellie.

The truth is that no live-action adaptation can perfectly recreate a character’s video game appearance—lighting, camera angles, and the natural variation between real faces all play a role. The showrunners prioritized casting someone who could embody Ellie’s personality, instincts, and emotional truth over someone who merely looked identical to the game version.

Casting decisions

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were clear from the start that they wanted an actress who could deliver the performance, with appearance as a secondary consideration. As the audition process revealed Ramsey’s capabilities, it became increasingly obvious that the right choice was about more than surface-level mimicry.

Ashley Johnson herself addressed the comparison, telling EssentiallySports that when she met Bella Ramsey, she immediately recognized something essential about the character. “It felt like I was meeting the real Ellie,” Johnson said. “Like the character coming out of the game.”

Is the girl that plays Ellie autistic?

Questions about Bella Ramsey’s identity and neurodiversity have circulated online since before her casting as Ellie. Some viewers have speculated about her neurotype based on her public presence, while Ramsey herself has addressed certain aspects of her personal identity.

Bella Ramsey diagnosis

Reports from various entertainment outlets indicate that Bella Ramsey has spoken publicly about being autistic. The revelation reportedly came during the filming period for The Last of Us, though exact details of when and how she received a formal diagnosis vary across sources.

Ramsey’s representation of neurodivergent individuals has been noted by disability advocates who appreciate seeing autistic actors in major roles. Her casting as Ellie—a character known for intense emotional depth and complex trauma responses—brings lived experience to a performance that requires nuanced emotional range.

Impact on role

How exactly Ramsey’s neurodivergence informs her performance is ultimately her own story to tell. What’s clear is that her interpretation of Ellie has resonated powerfully with audiences, earning praise from both critics and the original game’s creators.

The conversation around Ramsey’s identity reflects broader cultural shifts toward authentic representation in casting. When neurodivergent performers can bring their own experiences to complex characters, the result often feels more authentic than neurotypical actors playing neurodivergent roles from the outside.

Does Ellie’s girlfriend get pregnant in the game?

The Last of Us Part II takes Ellie’s relationships in dramatically darker directions than the first game. Dina’s storyline includes several significant developments that fans of the franchise continue to discuss years after the game’s release.

Dina’s storyline

Dina does become pregnant during The Last of Us Part II, though the circumstances and timing of this revelation are significant plot points that the game handles with the same emotional weight it applies to everything else. The pregnancy adds another layer of complexity to Ellie’s already fraught journey.

The game’s writers at Naughty Dog chose to include this storyline for specific narrative reasons, tying it directly to the consequences of Ellie’s quest for vengeance. This plot development affects both Dina and Ellie’s relationship and the broader world of Jackson.

Plot details

Without diving into full spoiler territory, Dina’s pregnancy creates an impossible situation for Ellie, one that forces her to make choices that define who she becomes. The game’s treatment of this storyline demonstrates Naughty Dog’s commitment to exploring uncomfortable, real-world complications within its post-apocalyptic setting.

How the HBO series handles this plotline—assuming they adapt Part II fully—remains to be seen. The show has so far been faithful to the source material while making strategic changes for television storytelling.

What people are saying

It felt like I was meeting the real Ellie. Like the character coming out of the game.

— Ashley Johnson (Original Ellie voice actress, gaming and esports outlet)

In my mind, I was like, if we don’t cast Bella as Ellie, then I will go to my grave knowing that we could have made a better show than we did.

— Craig Mazin (HBO series director, entertainment publication)

Related reading: New Harry Potter HBO Cast · Call of Duty Modern Warfare Review

While Bella Ramsey brings Ellie to life on screen, the Dutch guide to Ellies age adds nuanced details on her age and LGBTQ journey in the series.

Frequently asked questions