Bella Ramsey is opening up about her experiences with gender after coming out as non-binary in January.
The 19-year-old - who is using she/her pronouns in her most recent interviews - is currently starring in the HBO Max adaptation of post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us, which originally began as a video game.
In the series, Ramsey portrays Ellie, a teenager who is believed to have immunity from a fungal virus that wiped out much of the population.
She's since sat down with GQ UK to discuss her role and experiences as a non-binary person on set.
Check out this trailer for The Last of Us:Speaking to the outlet, the English actress - who's also appeared in Game of Thrones - revealed that she had worn a binder "90% of the time" whilst on set of the wildly popular drama series, as she felt it allowed her to focus better on her acting. "Which probably isn't healthy, like please bind safely," she added.
A chest binder is often used by non-binary or transgender people who are in the process of transitioning in order to reduce the appearance of breasts, though it is not recommended that they be worn for extended periods of time given that they can restrict breathing and even cause back and chest pain if worn for too long.
Pedro Pascal - who acts alongside Ramsey and also appeared in Game of Thrones - reportedly spoke to the actress at length about sexuality and gender. "And they weren't always deep: they could be funny and humorous, the whole spectrum. We were just very honest and open with each other," Ramsey recalled.
She previously spoke to The New York Times about being gender fluid/non-binary, stating that she'd always felt "fluid". In fact, she added that she'd often felt "excited" when being mistaken for a boy as a child.
"I guess my gender has always been very fluid. Someone would call me 'she' or 'her' and I wouldn't think about it, but I knew that if someone called me 'he' it was a bit exciting," she said. Ramsey continued that she will always choose non-binary if she's given the option on a form, noting, "I'm just very much a person. Being gendered isn't something that I particularly like, but in terms of pronouns, I really couldn't care less."
She also touched upon the backlash she received when it was revealed she was cast to play Ellie in The Last of Us. "There would be times I'd find it funny. Then I'd get to the end of a 10-minute scrolling session, put my phone down and realize: Maybe that was a bad idea," she said, remarking that people were just going to have to get used to it, especially as the show recently came under fire for a gay storyline in episode three.
"I know people will think what they want to think. But they're gonna have to get used to it," she said via GQ. "If you don't want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that's on you, and you're missing out."
