The Last Of Us Movie: 10 Actresses Who Could Play Ellie

10. Ariel Winter

As Alex in Modern Family, Ariel Winter encapsulates a lot of the typical teenage characteristics that would be needed to play a part like Ellie. She delivers dialogue with care, every word is prudent and as a result she is entirely convincing in the part. In the dynamic with her siblings in the show Winter portrays a character that would likely act in a similar way to how Ellie would if she grew up surrounded by brothers and sisters. In fact, during the narrative of Left Behind, (the downloadable content for the game), Ellie's interactions with her friend Riley are very sisterly. For these scenes - which weren't necessarily integral to the plot of the game, but still encapsulated the kind of multi-layered brilliance that made The Last Of Us so good - Winter would be the best possible option to cast. Ellie is a different kind of teenager in the flashback sections of Left Behind, still getting used to the derelict world she's been dropped into, at times even excitable and seemingly happy within it. Winter would be great at depicting these traits, some of which can be seen temporarily revealing themselves in the full game (and hopefully the film as well). Additionally, if Ellie's persona was viewed outside of the context of the world of The Last Of Us, she could arguably be considered a tomboy. Should Winter be cast in the part, she'd be able to juxtapose all the understated girlishness of Ellie, with all the love of comic books and fighting spirit that would paint her as a tomboy, giving the character a depth that would be unique to her performance.