Bella Ramsey Says Last of Us Haters Can Stay Mad–It’s Their Loss

Bella Ramsey—who identifies as non-binary and uses all pronouns—is entirely unsympathetic to the plight of the homophobe who wants their media to remain as straight as an arrow. The third episode of The Last of Us, which many critics praised for its storytelling and the post-apocalyptic queer romance at the center of the plot, was review-bombed on aggregate social sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.

For anyone who doesn’t know, review bombing is when people rate a piece of media exceptionally low or high in order to make a point. The people who review-bombed episode three were trying to drive home their own homophobia and hatred, exposing a swath of bigots. The internet is a cruel place; especially for anything tangentially related to video games, which has proven a fertile breeding ground for bigotry.

But Ramsey doesn’t seem bothered by the extreme hatred, having once been a target of it themselves. “I know people will think what they want to think,” they said in an interview with British GQ. “But they’re gonna have to get used to it. If you don’t want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character—” (this is a reference to Lev, the transman at the center of a storyline in The Last of Us Part II, which is already being written for television adaptation in season two of the series) “—that’s on you, and you’re missing out.”

The actor has had their own fair share of internet hatred. When they were first cast as Ellie there was a massive amount of vitriol spewed about the decision. Now, they’re seeing it as a challenge. Ramsey isn’t going to let other people tell them what to do. “It isn’t gonna make me afraid. I think that comes from a place of defiance.”

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Bella Ramsey—who identifies as non-binary and uses all pronouns—is entirely unsympathetic to the plight of the homophobe who wants their media to remain as straight as an arrow. The third episode of The Last of Us, which many critics praised for its storytelling and the post-apocalyptic queer romance at the center of the plot, was review-bombed on aggregate social sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.

For anyone who doesn’t know, review bombing is when people rate a piece of media exceptionally low or high in order to make a point. The people who review-bombed episode three were trying to drive home their own homophobia and hatred, exposing a swath of bigots. The internet is a cruel place; especially for anything tangentially related to video games, which has proven a fertile breeding ground for bigotry.

But Ramsey doesn’t seem bothered by the extreme hatred, having once been a target of it themselves. “I know people will think what they want to think,” they said in an interview with British GQ. “But they’re gonna have to get used to it. If you don’t want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character—” (this is a reference to Lev, the transman at the center of a storyline in The Last of Us Part II, which is already being written for television adaptation in season two of the series) “—that’s on you, and you’re missing out.”

The actor has had their own fair share of internet hatred. When they were first cast as Ellie there was a massive amount of vitriol spewed about the decision. Now, they’re seeing it as a challenge. Ramsey isn’t going to let other people tell them what to do. “It isn’t gonna make me afraid. I think that comes from a place of defiance.”

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.