Bella Ramsey is proud of her decision to reveal she’s autistic.
“I feel great about it,” the 21-year-old actor, who is nonbinary but is indifferent about which pronouns she’s referred to by, told Entertainment Tonight at “The Last Of Us” Season 2 red carpet premiere in LA on Monday.
“It’s just like fun and I was just saying that I can now… it’s a way that people will see me like, ‘Why is Bella being a bit weird?’” Ramsey continued. “And now they get why. I’m like, now you know.”
Ramsey explained that she didn’t go back and forth about whether she should share her diagnosis publicly.
“It didn’t feel like this big decision that I was gonna tell people about it,” she said. “I found out about it and it informs my everyday and helps me understand myself.”
“There’s no reason for people not to know,” Ramsey added. “If anything, it’s more freeing for me.”
Speaking to “Extra TV” on the red carpet, Ramsey opened up about the “beautiful” reaction she’s gotten since sharing the personal news.
“I’ve had some really beautiful messages from people that I’ve been able to talk to about that and give some hope and encouragement to, which has been really amazing that young people who are struggling who have just been diagnosed and don’t know what it means. It’s been really nice to feel like I’ve sort of been a light to those people,” she said.
“It’s just cool to be here and be myself like I always have been, but now people know if I’m a bit weird, that’s why,” Ramsey added.
In a recent British Vogue interview, Ramsey revealed that her diagnosis came thanks to a “The Last of Us” crew member with an autistic daughter who assumed the actor shared the condition.
Ramsey described herself as a “weirdo” and “loner” and said she “always wondered” if she had autism, so she was relieved when she got the confirmation.
“It enables me to walk through the world with more grace towards myself about not being able to do the easy everyday tasks that everyone else seems to be able to do,” she shared about her “freeing” diagnosis.
“I’ve always been watching and learning from people,” the “Game of Thrones” alum went on. “Having to learn more manually how to socialise and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting. I have a call time, and I’m told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand and what to eat.”
Ramsey stars in “The Last Of Us” alongside Pedro Pascal, who also attended the red carpet premiere and addressed his recent date night with Jennifer Aniston.
Season 2 of the show premieres April 13 on HBO and Max.
