Ruby Rose Expands On The Reasons She Exited ‘Batwoman’

Denise Petski
·3 min read

When Ruby Rose announced in May that she would not be returning to the CW’s Batwoman for its second season, she did not elaborate on what led to the decision. Now several months later, Rose is detailing the challenges she faced on the DC drama, including her needing to undergo emergency back surgery following an on-set accident in 2019.

“Being the lead of a superhero show is tough. Being the lead in anything is tough,” Rose tells EW in a new interview. “But I think, in that particular instance, it was a lot more difficult because I was still recovering from my surgery. I had my surgery and then 10 days later I went to work, which maybe wasn’t the best idea. Most people take about a month or three off before they return to work, so it was definitely made more difficult by that. But as far as being a lead of a show or a film — regardless if it’s action or if it’s emotional — in whichever ways it’s taxing.”

More from Deadline

She made her decision to leave the show amid the coronavirus-related production shutdown, which allowed her some time to do some introspection and reflection. As Deadline reported at the time of her announcement, Rose was not happy during the filming of the first season, and her behavior made everyone on the set miserable to a point where no one could see this going for another season, leading to the breakup.

Rose told EW her decision to leave the series was not just due to her injury.

“It wasn’t so much [the injury], especially because after we wrapped up we didn’t get to finish the real finale because of COVID,” she says. “You know, you have time in quarantine and sort of isolation to just think about a lot of different things and what you want to achieve in life and what you want to do. I think for both [me and the producers], it was a great opportunity to have a dialogue about a lot of things. I respect them so much and they’ve been so respectful to me.”

Rose reiterated how proud she is to have played the first gay lead character – male or female — of a live-action superhero series.

“I think it was actually a beautiful way to do something, especially since that was the first time it’s ever been done — the first time Batwoman has ever been played in live-action and that she was LGBTQ. I’m very honored to have been able to play her.”

Rose also is highly supportive of Javicia Leslie, who will portray the next Batwoman, the new character Ryan Wilder.

“I think she definitely knows what she’s doing and she seems fantastic,” Rose told EW. “I think that honestly, I was so proud and so happy when I was told who would be replacing me. I’m just really stoked and I’m definitely going to watch the next season as well and see how it all comes together.”

 

 

 

 

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.