‘Last of Us’ star Bella Ramsey reveals autism diagnosis, says it’s ‘freeing’

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Bella Ramsey is sharing that they were diagnosed with autism.

The “Last of Us” star, who uses they/them pronouns, opened up about their diagnosis in an interview with British Vogue published Thursday.

“I’ve spoken a bit about neurodivergence before, but I always for some reason didn’t want to,” Ramsey said, before deciding to share that they “got diagnosed with autism when I was filming Season 1 of The Last of Us.”

According to the publication, Ramsey seeked out a psychiatric assessment after a crew member with an autistic child had assumed Ramsey, too, had autism. The diagnosis, they added, also confirmed a suspicion that Ramsey had “always wondered” about.

In fact, Ramsey went on to share that their diagnosis has helped improve their acting.

“I’ve always been watching and learning from people. Having to learn more manually how to socialize and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting,” they said.

They added that having a routine and a set of rules also helps, saying, “I have a call time, and I’m told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand and what to eat.”

The diagnosis overall, Ramsey said, is “freeing” because 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.”

“My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person,” they added. “There’s no reason for people not to know.”

Ramsey is best known for starring in HBO’s “The Last of Us,” a series based on the popular video game of the same name that also stars Pedro Pascal. Ramsey also appeared in three seasons of “Game of Thrones” as Lyanna Marmont. (HBO, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.)

“The Last of Us” Season 2 is set to debut in April.

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