Bella Ramsey has thoughts on Oscar-winning trans drama film Boys Don't Cry

When Kimberly Peirce's biographical drama Boys Don't Cry came out in 1999 it was lauded as one of the best films of the year, with Hilary Swank winning her first Oscar for her role as murdered trans man Brandon Teena.

While the movie has been reexamined in recent years as another example of a cis actor playing a trans character who is raped and murdered and winning an Oscar for it, it still is a skillfully made film that highlights the evils and tragedies of transphobia and transphobic violence.

But what do young trans people think of the movie? One young celeb — 20-year-old The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey — has watched the film and commented on it.

"I watched 'boys don't cry' recently and realized how not long ago trans acceptance started to happen," Ramsey wrote in a recent Instagram post. "And it made me feel very privileged to live in this time of change where tolerance, learning, love, and understanding are beginning to champion."

In 2023, the The Last of Us star came out as nonbinary, saying their gender has "always been very fluid" and that they use the "nonbinary" option when it's available on forms.

"Someone would call me 'she' or 'her' and I would think about it, but I knew that if someone called me 'he' it was a bit exciting," they said. "I'm very much just a person."

"Being gendered isn't something that I particularly like," they added. "But in terms of pronouns, I really couldn't care less."

Season 2 of The Last of Us is coming out in 2025, and will see the addition of Isabella Merced as the character Dina, who starts out as Ellie's (Ramsey) friend, but the two soon start dating.

The new season also features Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, one of the main antagonists in the second game.