‘The Last of Us’: Bella Ramsey Explains Ellie’s Reaction to Being Infected

“I hadn’t seen that bit of gameplay, and I’m really glad that I didn’t.”

HBO’s The Last of Us has been one of the most watched and talked about television shows in recent times. Based on the PlayStation game of the same name, the series has so far proven to be a faithful adaptation of the original video game. Much of that comes from the adherence to the source material by showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann – who also created the game as well as the actors who have brought both playable and non-playable characters to life.

In the aftermath of the series’ most recent episode, titled Left Behind, series star Bella Ramsey spoke about the change in reaction seen by audiences when Ellie realizes she has been bitten. After Joel (Pedro Pascal) is injured by raiders at Colorado University, Ellie seeks to find supplies that might help him. In the 2014 game and in the series, we are treated to a flashback that explains how she got infected. A special night at the Boston mall with Riley (Storm Reid) ends sadly when the pair are attacked by an Infected and bit. While Ellie’s character in the game showed fear at the realization of being infected, the on-screen depiction was entirely different.

Speaking about Ellie’s reaction to getting infected to Variety, Ramsey explained that not seeing the original reaction made her follow what was put down on the scripts:

“I hadn’t seen that bit of gameplay, and I’m really glad that I didn’t. I became aware after that I reacted differently to how Ellie reacts in the game. I think it was maybe more explosive, and there was more anger, rather than fear. I think that Ellie’s response is such intense emotion that she doesn’t know what to do with. It becomes very outward and expressive and explosive. That was really cool. I was very much trusting Craig and Liza [Johnson], the director, to guide me in that way. I loved that scene. I love scenes where you get to feel things really intensely, because you don’t often get the chance to do that in a super safe space. To get that chance was awesome.”

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Ellie’s reaction to getting infected is in tandem with the foul-mouthed teenager we have all come to love throughout this freshman season of the series. Perhaps this focus on rage rather than fear would drive her into finding the help that Joel will need to get back on his feet and continue the journey. As faithful an adaptation as the series has been so far, the creative minds of Mazin and Druckmann haven’t shied away from making changes to better tell the story where and when they deem it necessary. The alteration to the Jackson settlement in episode six is yet another example. In all, the series has continued to impress.

The Last of Us returns with its eighth episode on Sunday. Watch the episode’s preview below: