

"And also, the first time I met Bella, I was a little taken aback because it felt like I was meeting the real Ellie, like the character coming out of the game. And instantly, when I met Bella, there was this feeling of wanting to protect them," Ashley said in the show's podcast.

"There is something so similar that the both of us have. Yes, the two Ellies actually got to connect together during filming! Ashley noted that even though many actors were talked about in casting for the show, "Something didn't ever feel right until Bella." "And that even her mother had such a fight to live." Did she get to meet Bella? And it shows how strong Ellie is, of where she came from, and what she had to go through," she said in the post-episode featurette. It was the first time I've ever had to do a giving birth scene and it was an incredible day. "There was a special level of it for me to play the mother of this character that I care so deeply about.

She revealed in the show's podcast that she instantly burst into tears when she was asked to play the role. Ashley also talked about her experience being on the show and filming the finale's big opening sequence.
