Bella Ramsey Says Gendered Awards Should Stay: “Recognition For Women In The Industry" Needs To Be "Preserved”

During their appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast , The Last of Us star weighed in on award shows removing “best actress” and “best actor” categories. Ramsey, 21, still thinks keeping them is still important. “I don’t have the answer and I wish that there was something that was an easy way around it,” Ramsey said. “But I think that it is really important that we have a female category and a male category.” The actress added it's also important that “Recognition for women in the industry is preserved.” Award shows like the Gotham Awards and Spirit Awards have already dropped gendered categories in favor of one-size-fits-all honors. Ramsey floated the idea of a category like “best performance in a female character” but quickly realized that would create complications, too. Despite not identifying as female, Ramsey was nominated for lead actress at the Emmys for their performance as Ellie in The Last of Us , and she’s okay with it – for now. “I have a guttural, ‘That’s not quite right,’ instinct to [being called an actress],” she said. “But I just don’t take it too seriously… it doesn’t feel like an attack on my identity.” The comment lands differently than what people might expect from a celebrity in 2025. No virtue signaling, just concern about the visibility and erasure of women. Ramsey also opened up about their gender identity and how it’s always been a part of her. “I grew up more as a little boy than I did a little girl,” she explained. “It’s been very obvious since I was young. I always called myself a tomboy, but it wasn’t that I was a boyish girl, I was always like a bit of an in-between. Leaning to most of the boys' side.” “I guess at the moment, I don’t feel like I have access to femininity," Ramsey admitted. Regardless, Ramsey’s take is simple: make space for everyone, but don’t erase categories that still matter. For now – regardless of what she identifies as – that means keeping Best Actress right where it is. Subscribe today to get unlimited access to all of Evie’s premium content.