United Hope: ‘The Last of Us’ Star Bella Ramsey’s Old Christian YouTube Channel Resurfaces
Actress Bella Ramsey garnered attention for her supporting role as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, but she has catapulted into Hollywood stardom with her portrayal of Ellie in the hit HBO video game adaptation The Last of Us. Now she’s sparking discussion for another reason, as fans have rediscovered her old Christian YouTube channel.
The channel—United Hope—was launched during the London Covid lockdowns and features 123 days of short devotional thoughts and worship song covers. In the introductory video, she shares her mission of shining a light for Jesus and providing a pocket of positivity in people’s YouTube and Instagram feeds, saying, “I’m not a Bible scholar, I’m not a pastor, I’m not trained in this area, I’m just a 16-year-old girl . . . following what God has asked me to do.”
In the video for day 48, she shares a testimony of how her faith in Jesus helped her to overcome an eating disorder.
Although the channel remains active, Ramsey has not uploaded a new video in the two years since the lockdown protocols were lifted, and she appears to have distanced herself from it. Although she has not directly addressed the old channel, the actress, who now identifies as non-binary, said in an interview with The New York Times that her faith is “a lot quieter” these days. Speaking to Vanity Fair about the difficulty of rewatching her past acting performances, she remarked, “What I do mind is watching myself and then realizing that everyone else is seeing it, too . . . That’s when it’s weird. I liken it to looking back at your Instagram posts and captions when you’re 18. You’re not that person anymore. You’re not posting inspirational quotes anymore.”
Regardless of where Ramsey is in her faith journey, the fan reaction to the channel has been almost universally positive, with many—Christians and non-Christians alike—affirming the genuine, non-pretentious, non-judgmental expression of faith. Since the rediscovery of the channel, the views on the videos have spiked, surpassing 3 million total views. Christians can be prayerful that the heartfelt expressions of faith from the then 16-year-old actress will continue to encourage the many fans discovering the channel for the first time.
