Bella Ramsey Opens Up About Autism Diagnosis After Crew Member's Assumption

In 2023, Bella revealed in an interview that they had lately been diagnosed as neurodivergent.  "I'm not sure I'd be an actor if I weren't neurodivergent.  One of my characteristics is that I am extremely perceptive, perhaps too perceptive.  I become paralyzed because I see everything—it takes me four hours to navigate across Tesco's," they remarked, highlighting a sensitivity for "micro-expressions and social cues."

Bella revealed in a new interview with British Vogue that they, "for some reason," had never wanted to reveal what they had been diagnosed with.  They continued: "I got diagnosed with autism when I was filming season one of The Last of Us."

Though Bella had "always wondered" whether they were autistic, it wasn't until a crew member with an autistic child assumed they were likewise autistic that a professional assessment was initiated.  They described themselves as a "weirdo" and a "loner" as children, with hyperawareness of people's expressions and sensory difficulties.  The latter included their response to the thermals and waterproofs that must be worn during the show's frigid shoots, which they described as "too much stuff on my body."

Bella described autism as an advantage in acting: "I've always been watching and learning from people.  Learning more manually how to converse and interact with the people around me has aided my acting abilities."  They also mentioned enjoying the fixed routines: "I have a call time, and I'm told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand, and what to eat."

Concerning the "freeing" diagnosis, Bella stated: "It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do."

When compared to labels surrounding their gender identity and sexuality, the 21-year-old explained, "The label of being autistic has been so helpful to me because it's helped me understand myself, but gender and sexuality labels do not feel comfortable for me in any capacity, because I feel like I'm putting myself into a box."  "I feel trapped."

Bella is aware — and "a bit sad" — of their incapacity to explore their gender and sexual identity in solitude.  Conversely, admitting their autism diagnosis allows them to "unmask immediately" while speaking with others.  "My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person," the pair stated.  "There's no reason for people not to know."