Bella Ramsey, HBO’s drama star “The Last of Us”, revealed his diagnosis of autism after filming the first season in an interview with British Vogue on Wednesday.
“I have spoken a bit about neurodivergencia before, but always for some reason I didn’t want to,” Ramsey admitted. “I was diagnosed with autism when I was filming the season one of The last of us. “
While shooting in Canada, a crew member with an autistic daughter assumed that Ramsey could also be autistic. This moment caused Ramsey’s decision to seek a formal psychiatric evaluation, which led to his diagnosis.
When reflecting on his childhood, Ramsey described feeling out of place at school, often feeling more comfortable with adults. They mentioned experiencing common sensory sensibilities among autistic people, including greater awareness of microexpressions and body language. Ramsey also noticed his discomfort with the heavy waterproof gear and the thermal ones that were required to film in the cold Canadian desert, describing it as “too many things in my body.”
Despite the challenges, Ramsey shared how autism and acting have interconnected to help them perfect their trade observing people and adopting a routine.
“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 act,” they said. “I have a call time and they tell me what to wear, how to stop, where to stop and what to eat.”
Ramsey describes the diagnosis as “liberating …” and allows them to have more grace for themselves as they learn more about themselves. They find that sharing their diagnosis helps them “unmask immediately”, which allows them to be their authentic being later without feeling the need to hide.
“My experience of moving around the world is like an autistic person,” they said. “There is no reason for people not to know.”
