I wish I had been a more rebellious teenager, says Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey, the 22-year-old British actor best known for playing Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, has reflected on their teenage years, expressing regret over not embracing the typical rebelliousness often associated with adolescence. In a recent interview with BBC News, Ramsey revealed that they spent much of their youth working with adults, which led them to avoid the moody, defiant phase commonly linked to teenagers. Using they/them pronouns, Ramsey explained that they consciously chose not to conform to stereotypes, saying, “I’m not going to be that.” This decision, they admitted, left them wondering whether they had missed out on a more unfiltered teenage experience. Ramsey’s reflections came ahead of their role in the film Sunny Dancer, a coming-of-age story centered on a summer camp for young people affected by cancer. The film gives Ramsey the chance to step into the shoes of a 21-year-old, experiencing teenage freedom for the first time. “I got to be a teenager aged 21, which was brilliant,” Ramsey told BBC News. “It was really nice, and liberating.” The experience allowed Ramsey to explore aspects of adolescence they had previously avoided, including spontaneity, rebellion, and the social dynamics of peer relationships. In Sunny Dancer, Ramsey portrays Ivy, a young female cancer survivor in remission who reluctantly joins a “chemo camp” where she forms unexpected friendships and undergoes a transformative summer. The film also features notable actors such as Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Gunning, and James Norton. Ramsey described how the younger co-stars helped them understand what it meant to be a teenager, sharing insights about music, nightlife, and the nuances of growing up. “They were teaching me what being a teenager was for them and I was learning all the songs like five years later,” Ramsey said. The film’s writer and director, George Jaques, drew heavily from personal experiences, though he emphasized that the story is not directly based on his family’s life. His mother was diagnosed with cancer when he was 15, but it took nearly a decade for him to feel ready to translate those emotions into a screenplay. “I never seem to write in the moment I’m going through it,” Jaques explained. “You have to sort of get through and understand it and have that reflection of it.” To ensure authenticity, Jaques collaborated with the Teenage Cancer Trust, speaking with young survivors and parents who had lost children. These conversations shaped the narrative, leading him to give two of the individuals he met roles in the film. During the film’s premiere in Berlin in February 2026, Jaques encountered a poignant moment that brought his past experiences to the forefront. As he watched the screening, he saw his mother in the audience and realized there could have been a version of the film where she was not present. “I remember seeing my mother and I realized there’s a version of that movie where my mum wasn’t sitting in the audience,” he recalled. Both Ramsey and Jaques believe society could benefit from allowing people to process grief without pressure to return to normalcy immediately. Jaques shared his own experience of losing someone close when he was 18, while preparing for A-level exams. “We are expected to just carry on,” he said, noting the common urge to resume work and school without pause. He suggested that honesty about one’s feelings could lead to greater understanding. In the UK, there is currently no legal entitlement to paid bereavement leave for the loss of a close relative, except in specific cases involving parents and children.