British actor Bella Ramsey has described receiving their autism diagnosis as “freeing”.
The 21-year-old said their diagnosis had been “helpful” to better understand their identity.
Fronting the cover of British Vogue’s April issue, Ramsey is best known for co-starring alongside Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal in the post-apocalyptic drama The Last Of Us.
They said: “I’ve spoken a bit about neurodivergence before, but I always for some reason didn’t want to. I felt like I didn’t want to say what it was.
“I got diagnosed with autism when I was filming season one of The Last Of Us.”
Ramsey, who rose to fame playing noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in the fantasy series Game Of Thrones, described the diagnosis as “freeing”.
They added: “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.
“The label of being autistic has been so helpful to me because that’s helped me to understand myself, but gender and sexuality-wise, labels do not feel comfy for me in any capacity, because I feel like I’m putting myself into a box. I feel trapped.
“It does make me a bit sad that people who aren’t in the public eye can explore their gender identity or sexuality in private.
“That’s a privilege I don’t really get any more. If I did want to explore other things, like facets of my gender identity, that would be done publicly.
“As much as I would try and keep it private, if someone recognises me on the street, say if I’m presenting differently, (and) takes a photo, then that is just talked about.”
Ramsey won the best young performer Bafta award in 2019 for their role in The Worst Witch – a CBBC drama about a school for witches.
They also received an Emmy nomination in 2023 for their role playing teenager Ellie in The Last Of Us, the TV adaptation of the hugely popular video game which is set in a post-apocalyptic world where society has been destroyed by a pandemic.
Ramsey also starred in series two of the BBC prison drama Time, playing Kelsey Morgan, a young, pregnant heroin addict.
The full feature can be read in the April issue of British Vogue available from Tuesday March 25th or online by visiting: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/bella-ramsey-british-vogue-interview
