Time is THE series to be watching at the moment (if you haven’t already binged it on BBC iPlayer), and Bella Ramsey can count it as one of their best roles to date.
At just 20 years old, Bella is fast becoming one of the best actors in the UK. They steal the show as a hard-bitten drug addict in Jimmy McGovern’s Time. Bella plays Kelsey Morgan, who arrives in prison for possession, and discovers she is pregnant.
And Bella’s performance has left viewers in awe. Here’s a rundown of their top jaw-droppingly-good roles to date.
Bella Ramsey roles: Actor plays Kelsey Morgan in Time
Bella Ramsey, who identifies as non-binary, is currently playing convict Kelsey Morgan in BBC One‘s Time. And viewers have been blown away by their performance.
Some of their harrowing scenes include a gruelling ‘decrutching’, in which Kelsey has contraband forcibly removed from her vagina. Bella also acts their socks off during scenes in which their character gives birth.
Watching in awe from home after the first episode, one viewer gushed: “Time is the best thing I’ve seen on telly in a long, long time. This is what we pay the licence fee for. The entire cast were utterly superb. Bella Ramsey is 20 years old. If they keep this up, they will have a Damehood before they are 40.”
Another added: “For someone so young, Bella Ramsey is an extraordinary actor #time #bellaramsey.”
A third typed: “Just finished series 2 of #Time. Bella Ramsey is incredible.”
“Distressing but utterly outstanding drama,” said one more. “Excellent acting and Bella Ramsey is beyond talented #Time.”
BAFTA, are you listening?
Ellie Williams in The Last of Us
Arguably Bella’s biggest role to date, they played Ellie Williams in The Last of Us. Bella became the first non-binary actor to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.
In the show, Bella plays the leading role of Ellie Williams in the series, based on the famous video game. The plot follows modern civilisation 20 years after the population was destroyed by a killer fungus. Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, teams up with hardened survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) as the pair embark on a brutally heartbreaking journey for survival.
Bella’s performance as Ellie was brilliant, as one critic put it “crafting an Ellie both familiar and distinct, a complex, turbulent blend of childlike innocence and white-hot violence”.
HBO wasted no time commissioning a second series, which is due to land sometime in 2025.
Bella Ramsey roles: Birdy in Catherine Called Birdy
Nottingham-born Bella Ramsey played Birdy in the Amazon Prime film Catherine Called Birdy. The film, written and directed by Girls’ Lena Dunham, follows an 14-year-old girl in medieval England as she navigates through life and avoids potential suitors her father has in mind.
The comedy sees Bella at their most playful best, and full of mischief. A far cry from their poised role as child-queen Lyanna Mormont, here they bring a skittish mischief to the role.
The coming-of-age film gets 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Bella shines as the titular “little bird”.
Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones
Bella Ramsey made their professional acting debut as fierce young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in season six of HBO’s Game of Thrones in 2016. The role quickly became a fan favourite and saw Bella return for the next two seasons.
Well, if you’re going to break into acting, what better TV series than Game of Thrones to make your debut? Bella received critical acclaim for their performance as Lyanna.
Their portrayal of the child-queen showcased their impressive screen presence and ability to make the character seem older and more mature than their actual age. Lyanna was ferocious in her pursuit of peace for her people.
In fact, Bella was just 11 years old when they were cast as Lyanna Mormont. But they more than held their own opposite more accomplished actors including Aidan Gillen, and Gwendoline Christie. The role saw Bella’s first onscreen death too. And gruesome it was.
Lyanna threw herself headlong into a fight, but was seized up by a wight which crushed her to death. And yet, even as this was happening, she retained her status as a badass and stabbed the monster right in the eye. Mic drop, Lyanna!
Bella Ramsey roles: Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch
Bella is also known for playing the titular character Mildred Hubble in the newest adaptation of The Worst Witch for which they won the Young Performer BAFTA in 2019.
Anyone with kids the right age will have seen the BBC adaptation, based on the 1974 novel by Jill Murphy. The series followed schoolgirl Mildred, who discovered she was a witch. She subsequently enrolled at a special school where she learnt more about her powers.
The show, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and Netflix, was a huge hit with younger audiences, and kept Bella as its main character for three series from 2017 to 2020. However, they were replaced by The Larkins star Lydia Page after stepping down from the role.
Sharing the news with fans at the time, Bella wrote on Instagram: “It was completely my decision to say goodbye for reasons I can’t really go into but to everyone reading this, please prioritise your mental health and do what’s right for you.”
Bella later told Elle they left because of anorexia nervosa, and credits her Christianity as a factor in their subsequent recovery.
Read more: Who plays Angelica in His Dark Materials on BBC One?
Time continues on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday, November 05 2023.
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