‘The Last of Us’ ‘s Bella Ramsey, Storm Reid Dismiss Homophobic Backlash to Queer Love Story: Just ‘Don’t Watch’

The Last of Us stars shared their thoughts on audience response to the second same-sex relationship in HBO’s dystopian drama.

Storm Reid has a simple solution for viewers who don’t want to see a same-sex love story on screen.

Loosely quoting her The Last of Us counterpart, Bella Ramsey, to Variety, Reid said, “I think Bella put it perfectly a couple of weeks ago: ‘If you don’t like it, don’t watch.'”

Ramsey first relayed the sentiment to GQ after The Last of Us aired its emotional third episode. “If you don’t want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that’s on you, and you’re missing out.”

The show introduced another same-sex romance in its seventh episode on Sunday night — only to receive another wave of criticism.

“There’s so many other things to worry about in the world. I think being concerned about who people love is just absurd to me,” said Reid, 19. “I just don’t — I will never understand it.”

Added the Euphoria actress: “A lot more people that feel represented and seen and heard. So that’s what matters. That’s where the work comes in. And that’s when it’s appreciated, and you prioritize looking at those tweets rather than the ones that aren’t the best.”

Reid’s character, Riley, was introduced during a flashback that recounted what happened when Ellie (Ramsey) learned she was immune to the apocalyptic fungal infection. A friendship–turned–love story unfolded between Riley and Ellie, and heartbreak took over when the pair were attacked during an otherwise sweet moment.

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