Storm Reid addressed homophobic backlash after fans expressed outrage over her portrayal as a “gay for pay” lesbian in HBO’s adaptation of the video game “The Last of Us.”
The heterosexual actress plays Riley in episode 7, “Left Behind,” of The Last of Us, alongside costar Bella Ramsey who plays Ellie.
The episode features flashbacks to when Ellie trained to become a soldier in the Boston QZ. Riley, Ellie’s bestie and roommate who has been missing for several weeks, returns one night and sneaks through the window of Ellie’s dorm room.
Riley, 19, who will soon be leaving Boston with the Fireflies, spends one last night with Ellie, who is only 14. The 2 girls play around on a carousel, on the “moving stairs,” then in the photo booth, where Ellie and Riley kiss for the first time.
Their activity awakens an Infected, who attacks them. The girls defeat it, but both are bitten during the skirmish. They cry and rage, but they eventually decide to sit and wait until they both go crazy from the infection.
However, Ellie is immune to the infection, so she is forced to watch Riley turn into a monster.
Storm Reid reacted to the public backlash to episode 3, titled “Long, Long Time,” featuring the same-sex love story between 2 male characters. Angry viewers review-bombed the episode on Metacritic.
“Like Bella said when episode 3 came out: If you don’t like it, don’t watch,” Reid told Entertainment Weekly. “We are telling important stories. We’re telling stories of people’s experiences, and that’s what I live for,” said Reid.
Critics argue that “The Last of Us” is normalizing homosexuality among teenagers. However, Reid disagrees.
“It’s 2023. If you’re concerned about who I love, then I need you to get your priorities straight. There’s so many other things to worry about in life. Why are you concerned that these young people — or anybody — love each other? Love is beautiful, and the fact that people have things to say about it, it’s just nonsense.”
Reid is pictured above with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Shedeur Sanders, son of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. Shedeur will be the starting quarterback on the Colorado Buffaloes football team this fall.
