Three months ago, fans of the groundbreaking CW superhero show Batwoman were shocked at the news that show lead Ruby Rose would not be returning for a second season. Now, almost three months after leaving, Rose has explained the reasons behind her decision.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the 34-year-old actress decided to leave the show partly because of the quarantine brought about the global coronavirus pandemic. Because of the coronavirus-induced lockdowns, Batwoman was unable to film its season finale and Rose began to think of what she wanted to do with her career.
According to the actress, the shutdown of production allowed her and the producers to have a discussion about “a lot of things.” Rose also reaffirmed that she respected the people behind the production and that they respected her in turn, refuting early reports that both she and the crew were unhappy about how the show was being made.
One thing that Rose did confirm was that the injury she received during filming did have a part in her decision to leave as well. Deadline reports that Rose came back to work on Batwoman 10 days after getting emergency back surgery in 2019. The actress also said that injury or not, being the lead of a television show is a tough job.
Despite just playing the role for one season, Rose says she was proud to be part of such a groundbreaking series, which became the first show to have an openly lesbian lead superhero. The LGBTQ community also saw it as a victory for representation, as Rose herself is a genderfluid lesbian.
At the time of her casting, Rose attracted controversy as she was not Jewish, since Batwoman is a Jewish woman in the comics. Rose also received criticism for not being “lesbian enough” due to her being genderfluid. Rose eventually turned off public comments on her Instagram account and deactivated her Twitter account because of the rabid criticism.
Rose also talked about Javicia Leslie, who will be playing an all-new Batwoman. According to Rose, she felt pride and happiness after learning that Leslie, a Black bisexual woman, would be taking over the role.
The actress noted that Leslie seems to know what she is doing and that she seems “fantastic.” Rose also promised to watch the second season to see where Leslie would take the character and how the show will come together.
Leslie has also expressed pride at bagging the role of Batwoman, especially since this makes her the first Black actress to portray the character. She also said she is happy to be part of the groundbreaking strides Batwoman is making for the LGBTQ community.