“I was honestly afraid to work alongside Bella,” Isabel Merced shockingly revealed after HBO publicly accused Bella Ramsey of harassing colleagues. But the even more astonishing truth lies in the hotel after each shoot: Bella reportedly… made the female cast members tremble every night! 👇
The set of *The Last of Us* Season 2 was supposed to be a dream. Ellie and Dina, finally together on screen. Bella Ramsey and Isabel Merced, two rising stars, sharing the spotlight. But behind the cameras, something dark was brewing. Whispers. Closed doors. Nervous glances.
It started small. A crew member noticed Bella lingering outside Isabel’s trailer. Another saw her pacing the hotel hallway at 2 a.m. Then came the first complaint. A female extra claimed Bella followed her to her room. HBO investigated. The report was sealed. Until now.
Isabel Merced broke her silence in a tearful *Variety* interview. “I was honestly afraid to work alongside Bella,” she said. “Not because of the role. Because of what happened after ‘cut.’ Every night, she’d knock on my door. Softly. Like a ritual.”
The actress described the pattern. Filming ended at 10 p.m. By 11:30, the knock came. Bella, still in Ellie’s blood-stained jacket, would stand there. Eyes wide. Voice low. “Can I come in?” Isabel always said no. But the knocking continued. Every single night.
Other women spoke up. A stunt double. A makeup artist. Even a producer’s assistant. All reported the same: Bella Ramsey, knocking. Waiting. Sometimes whispering through the door. “I just want to talk about the scene.” But no one believed it was about acting.
HBO’s internal memo, leaked to *Deadline*, was damning. “Subject exhibits obsessive behavior toward female co-stars. Multiple reports of unauthorized entry attempts. Security escorts now required after 9 p.m.” The network refused comment. But the damage was done.
Isabel revealed the most disturbing detail. “She’d… smell me,” Merced whispered. “After hugs on set, she’d lean in too long. Inhale. Like she was memorizing me. I’d freeze. I didn’t know what to do.” The confession sent shockwaves through Hollywood.
Crew members confirmed. One said Bella kept a small notebook. Sketches of Isabel’s face. Notes on her perfume. Another caught her sniffing a costume jacket left in wardrobe. “She said it ‘helped her stay in character,’” the source recalled. No one laughed.
The hotel became a prison. Female cast members requested room changes. Some moved floors. Others demanded keycard locks. Bella was moved to a separate wing. But the knocking followed. Security footage showed her at 3 a.m., barefoot, outside Room 512. Isabel’s room.
HBO tried to contain it. A mediator was brought in. Bella apologized. “I get too immersed,” she said. “Ellie’s trauma… it bleeds into me.” The excuse fell flat. Trauma doesn’t explain obsession. It doesn’t explain the sniffing.
Pedro Pascal, Joel himself, was devastated. “Bella’s like family,” he told *The Hollywood Reporter*. “But this… this crosses lines.” He refused to film night scenes with her after the allegations. The schedule was rewritten. Tension poisoned the set.
Isabel stopped eating with the cast. She arrived in full makeup, left in a separate car. “I love Dina,” she said. “But I was scared to be near Bella. Every shadow felt like her.” Her hands shook as she spoke. The fear was real.
The final straw came in Vancouver. After a 14-hour shoot, Isabel returned to her room. The door was ajar. Inside: Bella. Sitting on the bed. Holding Isabel’s hoodie. Sniffing it. Slowly. Deliberately. Isabel screamed. Security rushed in. Bella was escorted out.
HBO suspended filming for three days. Crisis meetings. Lawyers. NDAs. Bella was sent to a “wellness retreat.” Isabel flew home to Los Angeles. The set was silent. No one knew if Season 2 would survive.
Fans are divided. Some defend Bella: “Method acting!” Others demand justice: “This is harassment!” #ProtectIsabel trends worldwide. Petitions call for Bella’s removal. Counter-petitions beg for understanding. The internet burns.
Merced’s full statement is brutal. “I trained for months to play Dina. I was excited. But Bella made it a nightmare. The knocking. The smelling. The staring. I couldn’t sleep. I still flinch at doors.” She’s in therapy now. HBO pays.
The network finally spoke. “We take all allegations seriously. Appropriate actions have been taken.” Vague. Cold. But the damage is done. *The Last of Us* Season 2, once HBO’s crown jewel, now carries a stain.
Bella’s team released a statement. “She is deeply sorry. The role consumed her. She is seeking help.” No denial. No defense. Just regret. Too late for some. Too little for others.
Isabel refuses to return unless Bella is gone. “I won’t be in the same building,” she said. HBO scrambles. Reshoots. Recasts. Delays. The budget balloons. The premiere, once set for 2025, now hangs in limbo.
Behind the scenes, the truth festers. A PA claims Bella kept locks of hair. Another says she recorded Isabel sleeping through a cracked door. HBO denies. But the rumors grow. The set is cursed.
Pedro Pascal broke his silence again. “This isn’t Ellie. This isn’t acting. This is wrong.” His voice cracked. The father figure, heartbroken. The cast fractures. Trust is gone.
Isabel Merced, once radiant, now looks haunted. “I just wanted to tell Dina’s story,” she said. “Not live a horror film.” Her eyes are hollow. The joy is gone. The damage is permanent.
HBO promises changes. Female-only security. Separate accommodations. Mandatory boundaries training. But the question remains: can *The Last of Us* survive this? Can Ellie and Dina’s love story be told without destroying the women who play them?
The knocking has stopped. The hotel is quiet. But the fear lingers. Every night, Isabel checks the locks. Three times. Just in case. The monster isn’t in the clickers. It was in the cast.
Bella Ramsey, once a hero, now a cautionary tale. Isabel Merced, once a rising star, now a survivor. *The Last of Us* Season 2 may never be the same. Some stories should stay buried.
The set reopens next week. Isabel hasn’t confirmed. HBO won’t say. The world watches. The knocking may be over. But the trembling? That never stops.