It is a weird thing, honestly, to think about how one character can belong to two different people at the exact same time. If you search for The Last of Us actress Ellie, you aren't just finding one name. You’re finding a legacy split between a voice in a recording booth and a face on a 4K HDR television screen.
Most people think of Bella Ramsey now. That makes sense. They’re the one currently wearing the grime and the oversized denim jacket on HBO. But for a decade before that, Ellie "belonged" to Ashley Johnson. It’s a transition that wasn't exactly smooth for the internet—fandoms are protective, sometimes to a fault—but looking at where we are in 2026, the handoff was actually kind of beautiful.
The Two Ellies: Ashley Johnson vs. Bella Ramsey
There’s this misconception that Bella was just "replacing" Ashley. That's not really how it went down. Ashley Johnson didn't just voice Ellie in the 2013 game; she was Ellie through high-end motion capture. Every twitch of Ellie’s eyebrow and the way she shuffled her feet came from Ashley.
When the HBO show was announced, fans went into a bit of a spiral. They wanted someone who looked exactly like the pixelated character. Bella Ramsey, who came off a legendary run as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, didn't fit the "look" for some of the louder corners of the web.
The hate was pretty intense for a minute. Bella actually talked about how they’d scroll through the comments and just soak in the negativity. It's wild because once the first season aired, that conversation shifted almost instantly. You’ve seen the "pun book" scene, right? That was the moment most people realized Bella captured the soul of the character, which matters way more than having the exact same nose shape.
A Full Circle Moment in Season 1
In a move that basically cleared the air, the show creators brought Ashley Johnson in for the Season 1 finale. She didn't just play a random survivor. She played Anna, Ellie’s mother.
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Watching the "original" Ellie give birth to the "new" Ellie was some of the most meta, emotional television we've had in years. It was a literal passing of the torch. Ashley has since said in interviews that Bella "elevated" the role, bringing a level of vulnerability that wasn't as easy to portray in a 2013 game engine.
Why Season 2 Changed Everything for Bella Ramsey
If Season 1 was about Bella proving they could play the "kid" version of Ellie, Season 2 was the real test. We’re talking about The Last of Us Part II territory. It’s darker. It’s meaner.
The relationship between The Last of Us actress Ellie (Bella) and Pedro Pascal’s Joel is the heartbeat of the show, but Season 2 ripped that heart out. For those who played the game, we knew what was coming. But seeing Bella react to the death of their surrogate father was... well, it was a lot.
Critics basically lost their minds over the "Seattle Day 1" episodes. Bella’s performance shifted from a sarcastic kid to a hollowed-out soldier. They’ve described the filming process as "physically and mentally exhausting." They even did this weird thing where they’d dig their fingernails into their palms before a scene just to stay in that headspace of constant physical tension.
- The Chemistry: Bella and Isabela Merced (who plays Dina) had to carry the romantic weight of the season.
- The Action: Bella did a huge chunk of their own stunts, including some of those brutal close-quarters fights.
- The Music: We actually got to hear Bella sing "Take on Me" and "Through the Valley," which was a direct nod to Ashley Johnson’s iconic covers in the game.
What's Happening with Season 3 and Beyond?
So, here is the latest as of January 2026. Production is a bit of a moving target, but Bella Ramsey has officially confirmed they’ve seen the scripts for Season 3.
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The show is taking a massive gamble. Just like the second game, the narrative is shifting focus. While Bella is still the lead, a huge portion of the upcoming story belongs to Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby.
Some fans are already annoyed. "Where's Ellie?" is already trending every other week. But the creators, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, are sticking to the source material. Season 3 is expected to cover the "Abby" side of the Seattle timeline, meaning we might actually see less of Bella for a while.
Bella's Life Outside the Apocalypse
While waiting for the next round of filming, Bella has been branching out. They’ve signed on for a thriller series called Maya and have been focusing heavily on their own music. It’s a necessary break. Playing a character as traumatized as Ellie for three years straight would probably mess with anyone’s head.
They’ve also been very open about being non-binary, using they/them pronouns, and how that identity has actually helped them relate to Ellie’s "outsider" status. It adds a layer of authenticity to the role that you just can't fake with a good script.
The Legacy of the Character
Honestly, what Bella Ramsey and Ashley Johnson have done is pretty rare. Usually, when a character is "recast" for a different medium, one version is clearly better. Here? They feel like two halves of a whole.
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Ashley gave Ellie her voice and her grit. Bella gave her a physical presence and a devastating emotional range that works for a TV audience.
If you're looking to really understand the depth of this role, you’ve got to look past the "zombie show" labels. It’s a study in grief. And whether it's the 2013 version or the 2026 version, The Last of Us actress Ellie remains one of the most complex female protagonists ever written.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you’re caught up on the show but haven't touched the games, go watch a "cinematic playthrough" of The Last of Us Part II on YouTube. It’ll give you a massive head start on what Bella Ramsey is going to be dealing with in Season 3. Also, keep an eye out for Bella’s music releases—they’ve been hinting at an EP that sounds nothing like the somber acoustic tracks from the show.
For those tracking the filming schedule, Season 3 is expected to start principal photography in March 2026, with a likely release window of early 2027. Stay tuned to HBO’s official press room for the first look at the Abby/Ellie confrontation scenes.