The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey initially "didn't even know" there was "a gunshot" sequence with her character in the Season 2 finale

When The Last of Us Season 2 ended, viewers were left on edge: the final shot cuts to black just as a gun fires. What many didn’t expect, though, was that Bella Ramsey, the actor behind Ellie, said they had no idea that the gunshot was part of the finale.

On EW’s The Awardist podcast, Ramsey described watching the finished episode and learning about the gunshot in real time.

“I didn't even know there was gonna be a gunshot, which maybe I just missed very likely. But when the show came out and everyone was like, 'The gunshot! The gunshot!' I'm like, 'Huh? What do you mean? What gunshot?'”

Ramsey joked that they might need to revisit the script to see if it was their fault for missing it or if the sound was added later. That comment highlights how episodes are shaped not just during filming but especially through editing. Even actors may not know exactly what will end up in the final cut.

In this case, that gunshot surprised both the audience and the actor. It underlines how powerful editing, sound design, and pacing can be in shaping the emotional impact of a scene, even beyond what was captured on camera.

Bella Ramsey’s reaction shows how editing can change a scene

Bella Ramsey’s surprise points to how TV episodes are built after filming ends. Editors can trim, rearrange, or add sounds later. Scenes that felt one way on set can read differently after cutting and sound design.

Ramsey said the camera cut immediately after Ellie’s plea, and the rest of the final moment was not clear to them until they saw the finished episode.

Speaking candidly, they said:

“[The rest of that moment] was not filmed. [The scene] was always going cut.”

What happened in The Last of Us finale that led to the gunshot?

In the final episode of The Last of Us, Ellie kills Owen and Mel during a tense sequence and later confronts other characters in a crowded theater. The sequence ends with a face-to-face standoff between Ellie and Abby, then a gunshot and a cut to black.

That abrupt ending left the scene open to different readings about who fired and who was hit. Several recap pieces describe the killings and the final confrontation in detail.

How does Bella Ramsey describe Ellie’s state during and after the violence?

Bella Ramsey explained that Ellie’s anger was driven by grief and fear, and that the character’s actions were not simple. She stated,

“I think her overriding emotion in the second season is one of, like, she's angry a lot. She was angry a lot in the first season, but season 2, it's a very vulnerable anger. It comes from a place of deep fear and sadness and loneliness. But that manifests with her as a sort of vengeful, insatiable anger and need for revenge.”

Early moments of control or release do not bring relief in the end; those actions leave Ellie stunned and full of shame. This shift is part of why The Last of Us finale feels heavy and unresolved and why the single gunshot had such a strong effect on viewers and cast.

What does the ending mean for the story ahead?

The cut-to-black ending sets up a clear question for the next season of The Last of Us:

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Whose perspective will shape the aftermath?

The Last of Us has signaled that Season 3 will take a closer look at Abby’s side and the events that surround her. HBO has confirmed the series will continue, and press reports suggest the creators plan more episodes to finish the storylines introduced so far. That future season will likely answer who fired the shot and how the survivors deal with the fallout.

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