Ruby Rose had a lot of time to think during quarantine. The introspection, she tells Entertainment Weekly, led to her decision to exit the show Batwoman, in which she portrayed the first openly gay superhero on a network series.
She also discusses the challenges she faced after requiring back surgery following an on-set accident in 2019.
Rose explains that she didn’t realize the extent of her injuries until she started shooting The Doorman: “Being the lead of a superhero show is tough. Laughs Being the lead in anything is tough. 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.”
She adds that the sacrifices are worth it: “The challenge is sort of outweighed. The accomplishment and the trust that people put in you to do that role and then there's also the vibrancy of being able to come on set and set the mood and the tone and the trust being put into it is something that's been such an honor. And I love my experience in Batwoman. I'm so grateful that we got to achieve everything that we did and I'm proud of everyone that worked on it. I'm proud of myself for working under sort of interesting circumstances, you know, with the recovery and all. I would definitely do TV again. I just think that it was also time for me to take a break to fully heal and then return.”
Not that it was just because of the injury, she says: “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. 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.”
She adds: “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 is also happy to pass the baton to Javicia Leslie: “I think she definitely knows what she's doing and she seems fantastic. 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.”
THE DOORMAN & INJURY
Fans will next see her play Ali Gorski in The Doorman. Here’s what they should expect: “In the film, I play Ali, who is an ex-Marine who experienced a lot of trauma in her last job. She returns back to New York to work on healing herself and start a new chapter of her life, where she's offered a job as a doorman. She ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up witnessing a robbery taking place and she has to return to the roots of her training to try to outsmart a lot of very dangerous people.”
Rose adds, “I came off of Batwoman and went straight into this film and we did about a week of prep and that was it. Some of the stunts were like 17-part moves! I'm very lucky to have done a substantial amount of action work, so I pick up stunts very quickly. I had a short break before shooting the movie and at that point — which is actually crazy to me now — I didn't actually know how bad my injury was. I didn't have time to get an M.R.I. before going to Romania so I got one when I landed. It took them about a week to get back to me with the results and then I sent it off to the states to my doctors. About two weeks after, I got this call and my doctor was telling me I needed to fly back immediately because this neck injury was bad and could leave me paralyzed.”
Rose explains: “I was in the middle of shooting a film and I couldn't leave but I told him I would see him as soon as I got back. He gave me a list of things I can't do that could injure me further and I was in shock. I had already done things that were 20 times worse than what he was saying I couldn't do like sitting in the front seat of a car because of possible whiplash. I had already done somersaults, wirework, and flips and stuff. I was so lucky I didn't get injured and that we had already done all the stunts by the time my doctor said I couldn't do anything, all I had left were the speaking parts. God was looking down on me for that period of time.”
She’s healed “perfectly” she says. The Doorman‘s release date is still TBD.