Bella Ramsey has spent half their life in front of a camera. At just 22, the London-based actor already has a decade of professional work behind them, a Game of Thrones breakout role, a critically acclaimed lead in The Last of Us, and enough award nominations to fill a shelf. Yet somehow, being called an actor still feels a bit strange to them.
Ramsey, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, first appeared on screen at 11 years old, playing the fierce child noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones. It was the kind of role that would make any young performer instantly recognisable, and it set the tone for a career built on playing characters far bigger than their years.
Growing up working alongside adults has shaped the way Ramsey moves through the world. They tend to feel more at ease around older people, something that probably makes sense when you consider that adult film sets and press junkets have been a normal part of life since primary school age. Meeting for tea at a quiet London cafe full of older regulars and their dogs, Ramsey seems completely at home.
“It feels like it belongs in the Midlands. It feels a bit, like, shit and familiar,” they say, laughing. Ramsey grew up in the East Midlands, so they can say that with genuine warmth rather than criticism. The curly hair is short, pushed back from their face, with a single gold hoop earring. Low-key, unpretentious, and clearly someone who does not take themselves too seriously.
The plan had been a morning walk, but the rain had other ideas, so it is tea and conversation instead while the drizzle does its thing outside.
There is something genuinely unusual about talking to Ramsey. Within a single sentence they can sound both ancient and wise, then flip into something that feels more like a thoughtful teenager figuring out their place in the world. They describe it themselves as always feeling slightly out of step with their age.
“I have always felt too old and too young at the same time,” they say. It is not a complaint, more an observation about what happens when your childhood runs parallel to a professional career that most people would not start until their twenties.
The Last of Us has been the role that really brought Ramsey to a global audience. Playing Ellie in the HBO adaptation of the beloved video game, they held their own opposite Pedro Pascal across two seasons of one of the most watched shows on the planet. The performance earned serious award attention and confirmed what Game of Thrones fans had suspected for years, that this was not a child star burning bright before fading out, but a genuinely committed performer with serious range.
Now Ramsey is also set to appear in Celebrity Traitors, the celebrity version of the hugely popular BBC reality format that has gripped British audiences over the past couple of years. It is a sharp left turn from prestige drama, and that contrast seems very deliberate. Ramsey does not appear to be someone who wants to be boxed in.
There is also upcoming work in projects including Sunny and Dancer, continuing a run of varied roles that suggests they are actively choosing range over comfort.
What comes across most in person is a lack of performance off screen. There is no carefully managed celebrity persona, no rehearsed answers. Ramsey thinks out loud, changes direction mid-thought, and seems genuinely curious about how they feel about things rather than already having it all worked out.
For someone who has been in the public eye since childhood, that kind of openness is either brave or just natural. With Ramsey, it seems like both.