According to Deadline, The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has signed on for the leading role in the upcoming period drama film titled Monstrous Beauty. Ramsey is set to play an aspiring playwright who has a rare condition that leaves a person’s whole body covered in hair. This marks her first major leading project since wrapping up the first season of HBO’s hit horror drama nearly a month ago.
Set to combine fiction with real historical characters, Monstrous Beauty will be written and directed by Romola Garai (Atonement). Joining Ramsey are Dominic West (The Crown) as King Charles II, Oscar nominee Ruth Negga (Passing) as his mistress Nell Gwyn, and Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) as Aphra Ben, the first ever published female playwright in history.
The project will be produced by Matthew James Wilkinson, with Laura Bellingham serving as the director of photography. Production is expected to begin this September.
“Set in the 17th Century, Monstrous Beauty is the story of a unique young woman, Barbara Field (Ramsey), born into poverty with a rare condition that means she is entirely covered in hair. Given the precious gift of an education, she is offered the opportunity of a place in the luxurious and decadent court of King Charles II (West), as a ‘Natural Wonder’ where people with extraordinary appearances mix with the aristocracy,” reads the synopsis.
“Fueled by the desire to be defined for who she is rather than how she looks, Barbara aspires to become a playwright under the auspices of famous actress Nell Gwyn (Negga), powerful mistress to the King. Nell herself is intent on teaching Charles a public lesson on the true appreciation of women beyond their physical appearance. Barbara seeks the help of famous playwright of the day, Aphra Behn (Shaw), and casts beautiful actor Vale (the object of Barbara’s own desire) as the lead, despite his lack of talent. But will Barbara succeed in becoming a woman of independent means whilst challenging a highly patriarchal society, and become master of her own destiny?”
Ramsey gained recognition for her breakout performance as Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones. Her other film credits include Holmes & Watson , Judy, and Catherine Called Birdy. Ramsey’s next project will be Netflix’s long-in-development sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, where she will be lending her voice to the character of Molly.
