The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey says second series is 'likely'

The teenage star of The Last of Us has said she believes its popularity has made a second series "likely".

Bella Ramsey, 19, from Leicestershire, has previously had roles in Game of Thrones and Lena Dunham's film Catherine Called Birdy.

She plays the lead role of Ellie alongside fellow Game of Thrones alumnus Pedro Pascal in the HBO series.

She said: "If people keep watching, I think [a second series] is pretty likely. It's down to the guys at HBO.

"There's nothing confirmed yet so we'll have to wait and see."

It follows the journey of a man and a teenage girl as they travel through the US during a zombie apocalypse.

Ramsey said: "The Last of Us is essentially about a man called Joel who meets this little, brassy, foul-mouthed kid called Ellie.

"The two of them form an unlikely bond that ends up being stronger than anything else."

Ramsey is now back at her Leicestershire home, after attending the show's LA premiere and said she had been startled by the attention.

"It's weirder seeing billboards locally than it was in LA," she said.

"I took my driving test the other day - which I failed - and during that I kept driving past the billboards, which was quite strange."

Ramsey said her family were also "forcing themselves to watch the show".

"It's not the sort of thing they would normally watch," she said.

"My grandma sent a message to my mum last night saying 'It's not easy watching but it is rather thrilling'. That's what they are making of it."

Ramsey started acting as a child, initially in amateur theatre groups.

She joined Nottingham's Television Workshop - a drama group for young people which has also honed the skills of Samantha Morton, Vicky McClure and Jack O' Connell - and was cast in Game of Thrones at the age of 11.

"I didn't go into the Workshop wanting to have a career in acting," she said.

"It wasn't something I was chasing. I'm very grateful it happened like it did.

"I didn't imagine this [career] was ever possible. I didn't even consider it. It would have blown my little brain to smithereens."

She said she had remained close to her co-stars, particularly Pascal, who plays Joel.

"We bounce off each other, so that's been fun during interviews," she said. "We just have a laugh with it."

She said she herself had not been a gamer prior to the filming, but had recently started playing The Last of Us on her PlayStation.

"It's really cool; I'm really into it," she said. "I think being in the show might have converted me."

She said she was thrilled with the praise the adaptation had won.

"[Video games] are so much richer than I ever imagined, being a naïve, ignorant, non-gamer," she said.

"It's really cool that video games can work in a cinematic medium.

"Maybe it will form a blueprint for video game adaptations going forwards.

"It's such a good representation of how video games can be adapted in the right hands."