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

6. Amandla Stenberg

As the interminably friendly 12 year old tribute Rue in The Hunger Games, Amandla Stenberg's catlike steps were so reminiscent of Ellie in The Last Of Us that it almost seemed as though she'd provided the motion capture for the game itself. If she were cast as Ellie, her stealthy, tactful performance would lend the film a unique atmosphere of tension and release that no other actress could. She would stand out in the action-packed sections of the film, ones where €“ in the game €“ the player would have been maniacally mashing buttons rather than lying back and absorbing the intense atmosphere. It's easy to visualise her hiding behind the back of a car as Joel fends off erratic clickers, or hunting in the snow, always highly alert, never visibly scared or anxious. Better than anyone, Stenberg could realistically pull off the hectic times when Ellie surprisingly saves Joel from danger, such as helping him onto the back of a horse, or emotionally hard-hitting points in the script where Ellie rides off on her own. She would have a certain respectable self-sufficiency about her, which would suit the character very well, inhabiting Ellie's persona with every independent physical movement.