Liane Hentscher/HBO
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from Episode 7 of The Last of Us, streaming now on HBO Max.
Ellie takes a devastating walk down memory lane in Episode 7 of The Last of Us, and recalls one of her most painful moments – when, in the present, she desperately tries to save the life of an injured Joel.
The episode, named after the 2013 video game’s downloadable expansion pack Left Behind, reveals what happened the night Ellie discovered she was immune to an infection.
Rebellious runaway Riley (Storm Reid) takes Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on an adventure through an abandoned mall, where she takes in the wonders of a Mortal Kombat arcade game, a carousel, and a photo booth. Just as Ellie finally reveals her romantic feelings for Riley with a kiss and convinces her to stay, things take a heartbreaking turn: both teenagers are bitten by a walker.
Actors Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid spoke to Variety ahead of the episode’s premiere to break their emotional bridge.
Storm, you had to establish your entire character from start to finish in just one episode. Did you feel a lot of pressure?
Storm Reid: Bella and [showrunner] craig [Mazin] and the whole team made me feel so welcome as soon as I arrived that there was really no room for nervousness. I was just given so much love and support. And then it was a little bit interesting to come on set and have to design and build Riley, but I don’t think it was hard. It was all about finding the nuances, finding her quirks, finding her optimism and how she moves through the world and takes up space. But I really enjoyed myself. I had the best time and I’m just glad to be a part of it.
How did you two build the chemistry between Riley and Ellie, on and off set?
Bella Ramsey: One of the really cool things about them is that they are so relatable. When you have a crush on someone, you think, “I don’t know if they like me too! I don’t know how I feel!” Well I think the way that’s shown and translated into a story like this is so cool and especially unexpected for a post-apocalyptic show. Who knew we’d be zooming in on two teens finding out an awkward friendship cluster situation? It’s something that was very much there in the script. I’ve seen quite a bit of gameplay from Left Behind, so I kind of felt it too.
In terms of me and Storm, we just hit it off straight away. We didn’t have much time to get to know each other beforehand. We basically only got to know each other during filming and it helps that we hit it off straight away. We just like to trust each other and felt very safe with each other. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
Bella, you demonstrated a slow build of trust in Ellie throughout the episode, culminating in her kissing Riley. How did you go about it?
Ramsey: I guess when you become a character you feel what they feel anyway. The clumsiness and the faster heartbeat. I could feel myself as we shot it: my heart was beating faster and my palms were getting sweaty from being so immersed in what we were doing. It becomes real between action and editing.
Bella, you’ve previously spoken about the homophobic backlash against the show and why you don’t let that put you off. Storm, what do you think of this topic, especially knowing that there will likely be a reaction to this particular episode?
reid: I think Bella put it perfectly a few weeks ago, “If you don’t like it, don’t watch.” There are so many other things in the world to worry about. I think it’s just absurd for me to worry about who people love. I just don’t get it – I’ll never get it. I do not get it. I think regardless of what people will say if they don’t like it, I think there will be a lot more people who appreciate it. Many more people feeling represented and seen and heard. So that’s what matters. This is where work comes in. And then it’s valued, and you prioritize those tweets rather than the ones that aren’t the best.
The moment Riley and Ellie realize they’ve both been bitten is so emotional and they react very differently to the news. How did you prepare for this scene?
Ramsey: I hadn’t seen that bit of gameplay, and I’m really glad I didn’t. I then realized that I reacted differently than Ellie reacted in the game. I think maybe it was more explosive and there was more anger than fear. I think Ellie’s reaction is such intense emotion that she doesn’t know what to do with it. It becomes very outward and expressive and explosive. That was really cool. I trusted Craig and Liza very much [Johnson], the director to guide me in this way. I loved that scene. I love scenes where you can really feel things intensely because you don’t often get the chance to do that in a super safe space. Getting this chance was great.
reid: It was an intense scene. I think we’re so used to seeing Riley so optimistic, ‘Oh yeah, it’s going to be fine. yes we can go on Yes, we are in this post-apocalyptic world, but we are. We’re going to have fun in a minute.” I think it’s the first time we’ve seen her truly grasp the weight of the world. The possibility of their end of the world is earth shattering for them and they process it in different ways. Riley’s feelings are a little more internalized because I think that’s when she realizes that this isn’t a joke – not that she took it that way before. But you know things can happen, and then when they happen to you, you’re like, “Oh, that’s what it feels like.”
We don’t see what comes after that if Riley gets infected and Ellie doesn’t. did you film this scene?
Ramsey: I’m sure they talked about that possibility, but you didn’t see the first scripts we got. I think sometimes the things you don’t see are more effective, because then it’s left to your imagination, which can sometimes be even darker than what you might see on screen. I like that it ends so poetically. I think it’s more heartbreaking when Riley says, “Let’s all be poetic and lose our minds together.” It’s horrific to then know what happens next. The fear and confusion Ellie felt and the guilt of the survivors. There’s so much to it.
I think it’s actually more impactful that it wasn’t shown. You see the impact of that on Ellie for the rest of the season.
This interview has been edited and abridged.