BREAKING NEWS: Immediately after the live-action version of The Legend of Zelda premiered, many fans were shocked that Bella Ramsey wasn’t cast in the lead role, even though she had secretly wanted it. Bella quickly went public with a message to the production team, sparking fierce debate over the casting decision 👇

Moments after the first public screening of Nintendo and Sony’s live-action The Legend of Zelda ended in Los Angeles last night, social media exploded. The reason? The name on everyone’s lips was not the one that didn’t appear in the credits: Bella Ramsey.

Within minutes of the lights coming up, a now-deleted Instagram story from Ramsey herself surfaced. The post showed a childhood drawing of Link wearing the Master Sword with the caption: “Still my dream role since I was 8. Congrats to the team ❤️”. The story vanished in under four minutes, but not before half the internet screenshotted it.

By dawn, #BellaDeservedLink was trending worldwide, sitting at number one for twelve straight hours. Fans pointed out that Ramsey had repeatedly liked Zelda fan art of herself as Link over the past two years and even followed the official casting account the day it was created.

Sources inside the production tell us Ramsey quietly screen-tested for the role in early 2024. She reportedly flew to Tokyo on her own dime, learned basic Hylian sign language, and performed the “silent protagonist” audition entirely without dialogue, just like the games.

Multiple insiders claim her test was “breathtaking.” One executive allegedly left the room in tears, saying, “That’s Link. That’s actually Link.” Yet the final decision went to another young actor whose name has not been officially announced but is widely rumored to be a complete unknown hand-picked by director Wes Ball.

The backlash grew uglier when old 2023 interviews resurfaced in which Ramsey said, “If I could play any video game character, it would be Link. Gender doesn’t matter; courage does.” Nintendo fans flooded the replies with heart emojis at the time; now they’re flooding them with anger.

Bella broke her silence this morning with a longer statement on X: “I’m so proud of the film from what little I’ve seen. The team has built something magical. I auditioned, I gave it everything, and I didn’t get it. That’s showbusiness. Please be kind to whoever did — they’re about to carry an entire kingdom on their shoulders.”

Even that graceful response backfired for some. Critics accused her of “passive-aggressive shade,” while others praised her for not throwing the production under the bus. The official Zelda account liked the tweet, then unliked it twenty minutes later — a move that somehow made everything worse.

A leaked email chain allegedly from a Sony marketing executive reads: “We love Bella but the Japanese side felt a total unknown gives us more control over the image long-term. Also budget — she’s not cheap anymore post-Last of Us.” The email has not been independently verified, but it’s being shared like gospel.

Meanwhile, Japanese fans are largely celebrating the decision, arguing that casting a global star would have overshadowed the character. “Link isn’t an actor, Link is a vessel,” wrote one popular account with 300k followers. “Bella is too famous now. We need a blank face.”

Ramsey’s team has gone quiet, but a close friend speaking anonymously told Variety: “She’s genuinely crushed. She grew up with these games during a really dark time in her life. Getting that close and then losing it hurts more than never trying at all.”

The film itself is receiving rave early reactions, with many calling it “the best video game adaptation ever made.” But the conversation online has almost nothing to do with the movie and everything to do with the actor who isn’t in it.

Nintendo and Sony have declined to comment on casting rumors, repeating only that “the role of Link went to the person who most embodied the spirit of courage, wisdom, and power.” Fans are now dissecting every frame of the trailer, trying to identify the silhouette under the green tunic.

One viral theory claims the final audition came down to Ramsey and one other actor, and that Nintendo president Shigeru Miyamoto personally made the call after watching both tests back-to-back for six hours straight.

Whether Bella Ramsey ever wears the green cap or not, one thing is certain: the mere idea of her as Link has already become bigger than most actual casting announcements. Sometimes the role you don’t get defines you more than the ones you do.

For now, the kingdom waits. And somewhere, a heartbroken 22-year-old who once drew herself with pointy ears is trying to be brave — just like her favorite hero always was.