Bella Ramsey Got Diagnosed With Autism After ‘Last of Us’ Crew Member Noticed the Signs: It’s ‘Liberating’ and ‘Freeing’ to Know
“The Last of Us” Emmy nominee Bella Ramsey revealed in an interview with British Vogue that they sought out an autism diagnosis after a crew member said they recognized signs on set while filming season one. According to Ramsey, finally getting a diagnosis was “liberating.”
“I’ve spoken a bit about neurodivergence before, but I always for some reason didn’t want to say what it was,” Ramsey said. “I got diagnosed with autism when I was filming season one of ‘The Last of Us.'”
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According to Ramsey, a member of the crew with an autistic daughter assumed Ramsey had it too, which prompted them to eventually seek out a formal psychiatric assessment and diagnosis. Ramsey described feeling like a “weirdo” and a “loner,” admitting autism was something they had “always wondered” about. Ramsey also experiences sensory issues common to people on the spectrum, and expressed “painful hyperawareness of other people’s micro-expressions and body language.”
For Ramsey, receiving their diagnosis was “freeing” and “it enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do.”
“I’ve always been watching and learning from people,” they continued. “Having to learn more manually how to socialise and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting.” Ramsey said being on set helps them set a daily routine: “I have a call time, and I’m told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand and what to eat.”
Bella Ramsey stars as Ellie Williams in “The Last of Us,” which returns April 13 for Season 2 on HBO.
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