'The Last of Us' Star Bella Ramsey Lost a Role Over Their Looks

Despite blowing audiences away as the breakout stars of HBO's hit series The Last of Us, the 19-year-old actor previously shared that they initially struggled to land roles over their appearance in a recently resurfaced video.

"I was told [in] one of my first auditions ever... the director really liked me but I didn't get the part because I didn't have the 'Hollywood look,'" Ramsey said in the snippet, adding that it was "something that I've always found very interesting." But as original poster @sourkettle noted on Twitter, hearing this was more than just "interesting." Rather, it's another sad example of how judgmental the entertainment industry can be, particularly when it comes to nonbinary and gender-fluid actors. And it's something that's made even more gutting when you watch some of Ramsey's performances and know how talented they are.

"bella ramsey saying they didn't get casted in a project because they didn't have the 'Hollywood look' makes me feel so sad," they wrote, before later saying that it was hard to "imagine being 6 or 7 and being told that." And needless to say, many other Twitter users agreed with @sourkettle's assessment, with one person calling the revelation "so sad and infuriating" and another calling out the "ruthless people" who gave "this little girl some lasting trauma."

However, there were also a number of people who pointed out that Ramsey is no longer in this position, with a resume that includes productions like Game of Thrones, the Lena Dunham-directed Catherine Called Birdy and, of course, The Last of Us, which has also been renewed for a second season.

Ramsey has yet to address the clip going viral. In the meantime though, you can hear what they had to say about their early days in the industry below.

bella ramsey saying they didn’t get casted in a project because they didn’t have the “Hollywood look” makes me feel so sad pic.twitter.com/JY564J0XS6

— kettle ༂ (@sourkettle) March 25, 2023

Photo via Getty / Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic