Bella Ramsey is one of today’s most popular television stars with their role as Ellie in the hit series The Last of Us, but they still remember their early days at HBO quite fondly. Years before traversing through a wasteland with Pedro Pascal, Ramsey had played Lyanna Mormont, the 10-year-old head of House Mormont who proved to be one of the toughest characters on the show, despite her age. The character quickly resonated very well with Game of Thrones fans, blossoming a career that’s brought about many other roles in film and television.

In a new interview with L’Officiel, Ramsey reflected on joining Game of Thrones, with Lyanna Mormont’s first appearance coming in 2016. At that time, Ramsey was just 11 years old, and as this was their breakthrough role, this was obviously a big deal for them to be a part of such a major production. What really helped was series star Kit Harington approaching the young actor upon their arrival to make them feel much more welcome on the set. Remembering how Harington complimented their boots and referred to them as “dude,” Ramsey says that it may just be the best day of their life.
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“I started Game of Thrones when I was, I think my first scene was 11, and I was 12 through the rest of it. One of my favorite memories, well it was one of my first memories really, was getting over there and meeting Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, for the first time. And I knew that he was Jon Snow, I knew that it was like, one of the big parts in it, and he just was so cool, and so kind. I remember him telling me that like liked my Dr. Martens [boots]. They were like, blue and red with white spots on them. They were my favorite things, and he complimented them, and he called me dude, and it was like the best day of my life.”

Related: HBO Orders Game of Thrones Prequel Series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

What’s Next for Bella Ramsey?

HBO Max

While Ramsey’s time in the Game of Thrones franchise appears to be over, there will be plenty to look forward to for fans of the actor. Of course, Ramsey will return as Ellie in the second season of The Last of Us, which is expected to start production later this year. Recently, it was reported that Ramsey had been cast to play the lead role in the film Monstrous Beauty, portraying a character afflicted with a condition that causes excessive hair growth all over their body. It has also been annonced that Ramsey is heading to Netflix to voice a chicken character in the animated sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, coming to the streaming platform in December.

You can stream Game of Thrones and the first season of The Last of Us on HBO Max. The latter’s second season does not yet have a release date set at the streaming platform.