Finding out who played Ellie in The Last of Us isn't a one-sentence answer because, honestly, the character is a rare beast in pop culture. She exists in two distinct mediums, both of which redefined how we think about "acting" in digital and live-action spaces. For the gamers who lived through the 2013 launch, Ellie is Ashley Johnson. For the millions who tuned into HBO in 2023, she’s Bella Ramsey.
It’s complicated.
Usually, when a game gets adapted, the original actor is tossed aside like yesterday's news. But with this franchise, the DNA of the performance is so shared that you can't really talk about one without the other. Ashley Johnson didn't just provide a voice; she provided the soul that Bella Ramsey eventually had to translate into meat-and-blood reality.
The Ashley Johnson Era: More Than Just a Voice
Back in 2011, when Naughty Dog was casting for a "survival horror" game, they weren't looking for a cartoon voice. They used full-performance capture. This is a big distinction. If you look at the behind-the-scenes footage, Ashley Johnson is wearing a spandex suit with little ping-pong balls all over it. She’s physically wrestling with Troy Baker (who played Joel). Every eye twitch, every stumble, and every cracked note in her voice was captured by infrared cameras.
Ashley was in her late 20s when she started playing a 14-year-old. That sounds weird, right? But it worked because she tapped into a specific kind of arrested development and grit. She spent years inhabiting this character. By the time The Last of Us Part II rolled around in 2020, Ashley had lived with Ellie for nearly a decade. She took the character from a foul-mouthed kid to a traumatized, revenge-driven young woman.
The industry changed because of her. Before Ashley’s performance, video game characters often felt like archetypes. She made Ellie feel like a person who smelled like pine needles and sweat. When people ask who played Ellie in The Last of Us video games, they aren't just asking for a name—they're asking who created that specific, heartbreaking vulnerability.
Enter Bella Ramsey: The HBO Firestorm
When HBO announced the casting for the live-action series, the internet, as it usually does, had a bit of a meltdown. Bella Ramsey, known mostly for their scene-stealing role as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, didn't "look" like the digital Ellie.
Fans can be intense.
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They wanted a carbon copy. But showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (the guy who actually created the game) weren't looking for a cosplayer. They were looking for "Ellieness." They watched hundreds of auditions. Bella was the only one who captured that specific mix of "I’m terrified" and "I will kill you with this brick if you touch me."
Bella Ramsey’s version of Ellie is arguably more abrasive than the game version, at least initially. In the show, Ellie uses her humor as a jagged shield. There’s a scene in the fourth episode where Bella is practicing her "tough guy" face in a mirror with a stolen gun. It’s haunting. It reminds you that despite the apocalypse, she’s still a kid playing pretend because she has no choice.
The Hand-Off and the Cameos
One of the coolest things about the HBO production was the respect shown to the original creators. In the season one finale, "Look for the Light," Ashley Johnson actually appears. She plays Anna, Ellie’s mother.
It’s poetic.
The woman who gave birth to the character in the digital world literally gives birth to her on screen. It was a passing of the torch that felt earned rather than gimmicky. If you watch that scene closely, the screams Ashley let out during the birth sequence are terrifyingly real—she said in interviews she wanted to leave it all on the floor for the character she loved.
Why the Performance Matters in 2026
We’re now deep into the production and hype of The Last of Us Season 2. The stakes are higher. Bella Ramsey has to move into the "Part II" era of the story, which is notoriously dark and physically demanding.
There’s a lot of nuance in how these two actors approached the role.
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- Ashley Johnson had the benefit of a "blank canvas" where the animators could tweak things, but she had to do it all in a hollow volume (a mocap studio).
- Bella Ramsey had to deal with the elements—real snow, real dirt, and the crushing weight of a massive fandom’s expectations.
Most people don't realize that Bella was told not to play the game before filming. Mazin wanted her to bring something fresh. She did eventually watch some gameplay, but her performance is rooted in the scripts, not an imitation of Ashley. That’s why the show works. It’s a riff, not a cover song.
Technical Differences in the Performances
If you're a film or gaming nerd, the technical side of who played Ellie in The Last of Us is fascinating. In the game, the camera is often behind Ellie’s shoulder. We see her world through her movement. Ashley had to act with her whole body because the player is constantly watching her gait and how she crouches.
In the HBO show, the camera is often inches from Bella’s face. The acting is internal. We see the micro-expressions—the way her lip trembles when Joel mentions Sarah, or the dead-eyed stare after the encounter with David.
The Controversy of Likeness
We should probably talk about the "face" thing. In 2012, before the first game came out, Naughty Dog actually changed Ellie’s facial model. Originally, she looked quite a bit like actor Elliot Page. After some public comments and a bit of a stir, they shifted her design to look more like Ashley Johnson, though still a stylized version.
Then, when The Last of Us Part I (the remake) came out on PS5, they updated her model again to more closely align with Ashley’s performance in the sequel. It’s this weird cycle of digital evolution. The character is constantly being "re-cast" even within the same medium.
Essential Facts About the Ellies
- Ashley Johnson: Won two BAFTA Games Awards for her portrayal. She’s a veteran voice actor who you might also know from Critical Role or as Patterson in Blindspot.
- Bella Ramsey: Received an Emmy nomination for the role. They’ve become a massive advocate for non-binary representation in Hollywood, often speaking about how the role of Ellie helped them explore different facets of their identity.
- The "Third" Ellie: Cascina Caradonna provided the face model for Ellie in Part II, while Ashley Johnson still did the body and voice.
It’s a team effort.
How to Follow Their Work
If you're obsessed with the performances and want to see more, here's the move. For Ashley Johnson, check out the Last of Us "Grounded" documentaries on YouTube. They show the raw mocap footage. It will change how you view "voice acting" forever. You'll see her crying in a gray jumpsuit, and it's more moving than most Oscar-winning films.
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For Bella Ramsey, watch their work in Hilda (voice acting!) or the film Catherine Called Birdy. It shows the range they brought to Ellie—the ability to be incredibly funny and incredibly annoying at the same time, which is basically the definition of a fourteen-year-old.
What’s Next for the Character?
The future of Ellie is currently split. In the gaming world, we’re all waiting to see if Naughty Dog will ever make a Part III. If they do, Ashley Johnson is almost certainly back in the suit. In the TV world, Season 2 is adapting the "Seattle" storyline. This is where Bella Ramsey has to go from the witty kid to the "Wolf" hunter.
It’s going to be brutal.
Whether you prefer the pixels or the prestige TV, the character remains one of the most significant icons in modern fiction. She isn't just a damsel or a sidekick; she's a deeply flawed, incredibly brave person. Both actors understood that. They didn't play her as a hero; they played her as a survivor.
Actionable Steps for Fans:
- Compare the "Left Behind" chapters: Watch the HBO Episode 7 and then watch a playthrough of the "Left Behind" DLC. Notice how both actors handle the Riley relationship differently.
- Check out the "The Last of Us Podcast": Hosted by Christian Spicer, it features deep-dive interviews with both Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson about the "soul" of the characters.
- Look for the "Making of Season 2" updates: Follow Bella Ramsey’s official socials for glimpses into the physical training required for the upcoming episodes, which involve much more intense stunt work than Season 1.
The legacy of who played Ellie in The Last of Us continues to grow. It’s no longer just a role; it’s a standard for how characters should be handled when crossing the bridge from consoles to living rooms.