This week’s The Last of Us featured another queer love story that sent most fans into an emotional tailspin with its poignancy — and since this is TLOU, its tragedy. But there’s some portion of the audience for whom this canonical romance has them decrying the show for being both too woke and too ghey. One person who isn’t entertaining this nonsense is Storm Reid, who plays Riley, best friend and first love of the series lead, Ellie (Bella Ramsey).
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Reid didn’t mince words when it came to any potential backlash for their love story — similar to what episode three, which featured Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett), romance received.
“Like Bella said when episode 3 came out: If you don’t like it, don’t watch,” Reid told EW, in reference to Bella Ramsey’s comments to GQ U.K., in which the actor told the publication, “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.” Adding, “it isn’t gonna make me afraid. I think that comes from a place of defiance.”
Reid stood by the series and its unapologetic queer inclusion. “We are telling important stories. We’re telling stories of people’s experiences, and that’s what I live for. That’s what makes good storytelling, because we are telling stories of people who are taking up space in the world,” she said.
Courtesy of HBO
Then she dropped the mic. “It’s 2023. If you’re concerned about who I love, then I need you to get your priorities straight. There’s so many other things to worry about in life. Why are you concerned that these young people — or anybody — love each other? Love is beautiful, and the fact that people have things to say about it, it’s just nonsense.”
As Reid told EW, her choice to play the role was all about representation, for the queer audience and more. “I’m not only representing women. I’m representing young Black women and I’m representing young queer women that are experiencing new feelings and new relationships,” Reid said. “We are on the tightrope of a friendship and having a crush, or is it a crush? Is it just flirtatious energy? There’s just so much that goes into the complexity of what the episode is. And furthermore, the complexity of what Ellie and Riley’s relationship is I find just so beautiful.”
And as for the naysayers, she’s not sweating it oh at all. “But I don’t care because I’m proud of what we did and I’m proud of the story that we told and I’m proud of the people that we’re representing,” she finished.
Period.
