British actor Bella Ramsey, who debuted in Game of Thrones at age 11, says they wish they had been more rebellious as a teenager after being given the opportunity to experience teenage freedom at age 21 through their role in the film Sunny Dancer. Ramsey reflects that this experience made them wonder if they had missed out on being "sensible" too much during their initial teenage years. According to writer-director George Jaques, who drew from his own experiences with cancer and loss, the film aims to portray a more realistic representation of grief and its aftermath, highlighting the need for people to be allowed to process their emotions without being expected to quickly return to normal. The film's cast, including Ramsey, were influenced by young cancer survivors they met during production.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-16,
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Story summary
Bella Ramsey, a British actor who starred in Game of Thrones at just 11 years old, says they regret not being more rebellious as a teenager. According to Ramsey, they made a conscious decision not to act out as a typical teenager after hearing criticism from adults, choosing instead to be more responsible. However, when given the opportunity to experience teenage freedom while filming Sunny Dancer, a movie about a summer camp for young people affected by cancer, Ramsey was able to let loose and have fun at 21 years old. Looking back, they wish they had made the most of their teenage years and taken more risks, feeling that it would have been "liberating" to do so.
Written for “Bella Ramsey on Teenage Rebellion” on 2026-08-31,
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- Published
Bella Ramsey spent many teenage years working with adults so never really went through the moody, rebellious phase often associated with being a teenager.
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The British actor, who debuted in Game of Thrones aged 11 and uses they/them pronouns, says they had consciously decided not to behave like a stereotypical teenager after hearing criticisms from adults.
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"I was like, I'm not going to be that."
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I → go → ?
So when Sunny Dancer, a film about a summer camp for young people affected by cancer, gave Ramsey seven weeks to experience teenage freedom, it was an opportunity to dive straight in.
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it → affect → freedom
"I got to be a teenager aged 21, which was brilliant," Ramsey tells BBC News.
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Ramsey → get → News
Looking back, Ramsey says the experience made them wonder whether they had missed out by being quite so sensible the first time around.
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"I kind of wish that I had made the most of being a teenager and getting away with things and being a bit rebellious."
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I → wish → things
In Sunny Dancer, Ramsey plays Ivy, a young female cancer survivor in remission who reluctantly heads to a "chemo camp" where she finds an unexpected group of friends and has a summer that changes her.
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that → play → her
The rest of the cast were more than happy to help fill in the gaps; Ramsey says younger co-stars discussed songs and nights out.
"
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stars → help → songs
They were teaching me what being a teenager was for them and I was learning all the songs like five years later."
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I → teach → songs
His mother was diagnosed with cancer when he was 15, but it took another eight years for him to feel ready to turn some of those experiences into a script.
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him → diagnose → script
"I never seem to write in the moment I'm going through it," Jaques says.
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"You have to sort of get through and understand it and have that reflection of it."
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He stresses that the film is not his family's story, but "there's bits of me" scattered throughout its characters.
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film → stress → characters
Jaques was also conscious his own experience could only take him so far.
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So, he worked with the Teenage Cancer Trust, hearing from young cancer survivors as well as parents who had lost children.
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"I remember going in to do a big talk with some young people who had survived cancer and they were like, 'don't call us kids, do not say we're brave.'"
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He says the film was "shaped" by these young people he met - such that he gave two of them roles in it.
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Making the movie also forced Jaques to revisit some of his own fears around loss.
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He recalls a moment during the premiere in Berlin when emotion crept up on him.
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emotion → recall → him
"I remember seeing my mother and I realised there's a version of that movie where my mum wasn't sitting in the audience," he says.
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he → remember → audience
Both Ramsey and Jaques think we could be better at allowing people to experience grief without expecting them to quickly return to normal.
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them → think → normal
Jaques recalls losing someone close to him when he was 18, while sitting his A-levels.
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"We are expected to just to carry on," he says, describing the instinct to go "straight back to work and school".
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he → expect → work
If we "really were honest with how we feel we might be able to understand it a bit better," he adds.
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he → feel → it
In the UK, there is no general legal right to paid bereavement leave when someone close to you dies.
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The main statutory exception is parental bereavement leave and pay following the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks.
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Ramsey thinks there can be an instinct to minimise what you are going through.
"
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You speak to people who are grieving, you're like, 'How are you doing?'
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They're like, 'Oh, yeah, yeah, you know, it's hard, but I'm fine.'
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It feels very unhealthily British."
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After spending seven weeks playing a teenager who is desperate to be their own person, Ramsey's advice for young people struggling to fit in is straightforward.
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Please don't change to try and fit in because there are people who will fit in with you."
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Jaques agrees, but says the responsibility should not all be placed on young people to become more resilient.
"There's so much pressure on young people to change on social media," he says.
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"Why don't we stop hating on young people?
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Maybe that's where we should start as well."
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