You’ve heard that raspy, defiant voice. If you’ve spent any time in the post-apocalypse of Naughty Dog’s world, you know it by heart. But there’s a lot of confusion lately. Who actually is the voice actor for Ellie in The Last of Us? Depending on if you're holding a controller or a TV remote, the answer changes.
Ashley Johnson is the original. She didn't just voice Ellie; she built her from the ground up starting back in 2013. Then came the HBO show in 2023, and Bella Ramsey stepped into those very large shoes. It's a weird, passing-of-the-torch situation that has sparked endless Reddit debates and YouTube essays.
Let’s get into the weeds of why this casting matters so much.
The Woman Who Built Ellie: Ashley Johnson
Ashley Johnson was roughly 29 years old when the first game launched. Think about that. She was a grown woman playing a 14-year-old girl. Usually, that sounds like a recipe for a "fellow kids" disaster, but Johnson pulled it off with such nuance that she won back-to-back BAFTA Games Awards for Performer in 2013 and 2014.
She wasn't just in a booth reading lines. This was full motion capture. Every time Ellie wiped her nose, hesitated before a jump, or looked at Joel with that mix of yearning and skepticism, that was Ashley.
How she changed the game
Honestly, Ellie was originally written to be much more passive. In early drafts, she was basically a classic "damsel" that Joel had to escort. Ashley Johnson wasn't having it. During production, she pushed back. She told director Neil Druckmann that if Ellie was growing up in this world, she’d be a fighter. She’d be capable.
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Because of Ashley, the team at Naughty Dog shifted the character. Ellie became the "smart-ass" we love, someone who picks up a brick and helps you out of a jam. That’s not just a voice acting credit; that’s character architecture.
The Passing of the Torch to Bella Ramsey
When HBO announced a live-action series, fans went into a tailspin. People were obsessed with finding a "look-alike." They wanted someone who looked exactly like the pixelated character. Instead, we got Bella Ramsey.
If you only know them from Game of Thrones as the tiny but terrifying Lyanna Mormont, you knew they had the grit. But could they be Ellie?
A different kind of survival
Bella’s Ellie is... well, she’s different. While Ashley’s Ellie feels like a kid trying to hold onto her innocence, Bella’s version feels like a kid who never had any. There’s a jagged edge to the TV version. Some fans find it a bit "obnoxious," but others argue it's more realistic. If you grew up in a QZ (Quarantine Zone) run by a military dictatorship, you’d probably be a bit of a "confrontational little shit" too.
The chemistry between Bella and Pedro Pascal (Joel) is the soul of the show. It’s a different vibe than the game—more focused on the quiet, agonizing moments of connection and less on the "brick-and-bottle" stealth.
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That Surreal Cameo You Might Have Missed
If you watched the Season 1 finale of the HBO show, you saw a very familiar face. Ashley Johnson appeared as Anna, Ellie’s mother.
It was a meta-moment that broke the internet for a second. Seeing the woman who "gave life" to the character in the games literally give birth to the character on screen was a stroke of genius by showrunner Craig Mazin. It wasn't just fan service. It was a blessing.
Then came Season 2. In a move that absolutely gutted players of The Last of Us Part II, Ashley Johnson’s voice returned. In the episode "Through the Valley," we hear a haunting rendition of the Shawn James song. It’s a blend of a 2016 recording and a fresh one from the studio. Hearing the "original" Ellie sing over the live-action tragedy? It’s heavy.
Why the distinction matters
Some people still get confused and think the voice actor changed between the first and second game. Nope. Ashley Johnson stayed the course for The Last of Us Part II in 2020. She even played an older, more broken version of Ellie, which is arguably one of the most demanding performances in the history of the medium.
The weight of that role is massive. In the second game, Ellie goes through a cycle of violence that is genuinely hard to watch. Johnson had to find a way to make us stay with her, even when she was doing things we hated.
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Key Differences at a Glance
- Ashley Johnson: The OG. Voice and mo-cap for Part I, Left Behind, and Part II. More "hopeful" but eventually more "shattered."
- Bella Ramsey: The live-action star. Brings a more cynical, street-smart energy to the role.
What to watch (or play) next
If you've only seen the show, you're missing half the story. The way the voice actor for Ellie in the game handles the dialogue is fundamentally different. It's more of a slow burn.
If you want to dive deeper into the craft behind these performances, here is what you should actually do:
- Watch the Grounded documentary: It’s a free look at the making of the first game. You’ll see Ashley Johnson in the gray mo-cap suit, and it’ll change how you see the character.
- Listen to The Last of Us Podcast: Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann break down the casting choices for both the game and the show. They talk about why they didn't just hire a voice actor who sounded like Ashley for the TV version.
- Play Part II (if you have the stomach for it): Ashley Johnson’s performance in the sequel is a masterclass. Regardless of how you feel about the plot, her vocal range is insane.
The legacy of Ellie isn't tied to one person anymore. It’s a shared space between two incredible actors who both understood that underneath the swearing and the switchblade, Ellie is just a kid looking for a reason to keep going.
Take Action: If you’re curious about the technical side, look up the "Behind the Scenes" footage of the giraffe scene in the game versus the show. It’s the best way to see how two different actors interpret the exact same moment of awe.