Craig Mazin Responds to Criticism that Bella Ramsey Doesn’t Look Old Enough to Play Ellie in Season 2: “I’m interested in the emotional maturity, and the change in personality.”

And while the general consensus is that The Last of Us on HBO is a great adaptation of the video game, the show hasn’t been without its critics. A lot of the issues some viewers had were related to Bella Ramsey playing Ellie in the series.

And while Ramsey definitely delivered a great performance as Ellie, some people are still trying to find a flaw in that aspect and potentially see Ellie being recast for Season 2. Among the most recent issues was that Ramsey did not look old enough to play Ellie in the second season.

In a recent talk with the media, co-creator Craig Mazin decided to respond to these criticisms and he revealed a very interesting take on the issue.

Although 21, we cannot deny that Bella Ramsey does not look the age, it is definitely not a major issue going forward into season two. Many older actors played younger roles, while some younger actors played older roles. In a time when make-up artists can do miracles in that aspect, Bella Ramsey’s age shouldn’t really be an issue.

Craig Mazin is of a similar opinion. And while he admits that Ellie does look a lot older in the second game, he added that he wasn’t “interested in the physical aspect” of the role, which is a natural thing. A performance is not delivered by looking the part (or not), it is delivered by playing it.

“Some people do change quite dramatically and some people don’t,” Mazin explained further. “I’ve been looking at Bella’s face for years while editing, and I can see that she’s certainly grown. I’m interested in the emotional maturity, and the change in personality.“

While he concluded that he understood where some of the critics were coming from, he had this to say to all those who were concerned: “When they watch this year, I think they’re going to see the difference.”

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!