Bella Ramsey Defends Gendered Actor & Actress Awards Categories
"It doesn’t feel like an attack on my identity."
Bella Ramsey doesn’t let one persistent awards-season controversy bother them. In the past, the nonbinary actor has been nominated in “Best Actress” categories at prestigious ceremonies like the Emmys and the Golden Globes. While other nonbinary actors have been vocal about adding gender neutral awards categories, Ramsey actually sees value in keeping the male and female nomination pools.
“I don’t have the answer and I wish that there was something that was an easy way around it, but I think that it is really important that we have a female category and a male category,” Ramsey said during their May 5 appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, adding that this structure helps ensure “recognition for women in the industry is preserved.”
That being said, Ramsey isn’t totally comfortable being referred to as an actress. “I have a guttural, ‘That’s not quite right,’ instinct to [being called an actress],” Ramsey said. “But I just don’t take it too seriously… it doesn’t feel like an attack on my identity.”
The star mused about possibly making awards specific to performances as a female character or a male character (their role as Ellie in The Last of Us is a teenage girl), but deduced that this would still shut out actors portraying nonbinary characters.
Ramsey went on to explain that they have always felt more connected to their masculine side, even as a child. “To be honest, I grew up more as a little boy than I did a little girl,” Ramsey said. “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.”
Despite this, Ramsey will likely be nominated in the Emmys’ Best Actress category again this year for their performance in The Last of Us Season 2. Even if the categorization doesn’t feel right, it sounds like Ramsey isn’t too concerned about what their trophy might say.
