Bella Ramsey has opened up about being turned down for roles as a child because she didn't have the right "look" for Hollywood.
The actress, 19, who is non-binary and uses any pronouns, found fame in her leading role as Ellie alongside Pedro Pascal in The Last Of Us.
Despite becoming a fan favorite and being lauded for her amazing work in the post-apocalyptic thriller, her path to acting success hasn't always been an easy one.
Bella revealed that when she was auditioning for roles when she was younger, she was told her looks weren't right and got passed on for jobs because of it.
Speaking to GQ, in a clip that was shared on Twitter by @sourkettle, Bella - who previously played Lady Lyanna Marmont in Game Of Thrones at the age of 13 - heartbreakingly admitted that there were other roles she lost out on because she didn't fit Hollywood's beauty ideal.
She explained: "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'. That’s something that I’ve always found very interesting."
Bella had also revealed to the publication that even getting the role in The Last Of Us came with criticism from fans over her "square head" and not looking like their imagining of the character.
She added: "You’re looking for a comment that’s more painful than the last one. I’d kid myself that I was doing it in jest."
Despite the battle to get into the industry, Bella's talent ultimately won in the end, with The Last Of Us's creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann choosing her from over 100 auditionees.
They told GQ: "What makes Ellie so fascinating is that she has a lot of the fear and exuberance of a child, but also this strange, sad, heavy, beautiful wisdom and violence.
"What you’re waiting for [in casting] is the person that makes it undeniable, where you’re like, 'Oh, we’re done. Everything’s okay.' And that was Bella."
After the video clip went viral on Twitter once again, fans shared their thoughts on Bella being ruled out by other directors over her looks.
They tweeted: "saying that to a child is so effed up… god hollywood sucks" and "its so sad that this is a defining factor rather than casting who most faithfully represents the character."
Others added: "It’s a shame so many talented people are overlooked because they don’t have ‘the look’" and "This would’ve p**sed me off for the rest of my life. Not looking right for *A* role is different from someone saying you don’t have 'the look.' F**k them and f**k 'the Hollywood look.'"
Bella's acting career began in 2007 when she joined a local stage school at the age of four, taking on roles as a child.
While criticism about a person's looks is difficult to hear at any age, it is even crueler to bestow such insecurities on a child.
Thankfully, Bella didn't let that particular casting director's careless words stop her from going on to be hugely successful in The Last Of Us and - no doubt - for many years to come in the future too.
While many young stars go down to the plastic surgery route to ensure their "face fits" the narrow ideal of what is considered "beautiful" by Hollywood, life would be extremely boring if we all looked the same - and Bella is just perfect as she is.
