Bella Ramsey Reflects on Challenges Faced as a Child Actor in Hollywood

Bella Ramsey, renowned for her roles in “The Last of Us” and “Game of Thrones,” recently shared insights into the difficulties she encountered as a child actor navigating Hollywood’s demanding environment. In an interview with The Independent, Ramsey opened up about the challenges of working alongside adult performers and the sense of separation she felt.

Expressing frustration, Ramsey disclosed, “The thing I hated the most was being patronized. I didn’t like the fact that I could only be on set for a certain amount of time and had to go and do tutoring. I get why the hours protections for child actors are phenomenally important – but I hated feeling like I was lesser or separate from the adult cast.”

Despite turning 20 this year, Ramsey often finds herself cast as younger teens in various projects. Reflecting on her experiences, she admitted to always feeling more at ease with adults, a sentiment stemming from spending a considerable amount of time on film sets after leaving traditional schooling at the age of 12.

“I wasn’t intimidated by going onto a set with a load of people twice, three times my age,” Ramsey revealed. “As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that I have autonomy to stand up for myself and for other younger people that I work with now. I want to enable them to advocate for themselves in the way that people older than me taught me to advocate for myself!”

Ramsey’s candid discussion sheds light on the unique challenges faced by child actors in the industry, a sentiment echoed by other performers. Last month, Jenna Ortega shared her struggles as a Hispanic child actress, emphasizing the limited opportunities available due to industry stereotypes.

“As a child actor, there are two jobs that you can get: you’re either the younger version of someone or you’re playing somebody’s daughter — and there were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for,” explained Ortega, highlighting the hurdles she faced due to preconceived notions about her appearance. “That was really hard, to hear that something you couldn’t change was what was preventing you [from succeeding].”