Ruby Rose wanted off Batwoman — and no one was going to stand in her way.
Although the actress’ sudden, surprising departure from The CW superhero drama after just one season was framed on Tuesday as her choice and her choice alone, sources confirm to TVLine that the split was — at best — a mutual one.
“It wasn’t 100-percent her decision,” concedes a source close to the show. “It was a breakup. She wasn’t happy working on the show, and did that make her fun to work with? No. So everyone decided it would be in the best interests of the show, and for all concerned, if they parted ways. It just wasn’t a good fit.”
According to an insider, Rose — coming off the features John Wick: Chapter 2 and The Meg — was distressed by the long hours demanded of a lead TV role and did not acclimate well to life in Vancouver (where the show shoots). Batwoman marked the actress’ first full-time series gig, following her debut as the Scarlet Knight in the Arrowverse’s December 2018 “Elseworlds” crossover and a short arc on Orange Is the New Black.
Reps for Warner Bros. and The CW declined to comment for this story. Rose’s spokesperson, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment.
In a joint statement released Tuesday, Berlanti Prods. and Warner Bros. Television confirmed that Rose’s iconic role would be recast — and with another LGBTQ actress. “[We] thank Ruby for her contributions to the success of our first season and wish her all the best,” the two companies said. “The studio and network are firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we — along with the show’s talented creative team — look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months.”
Batwoman Season 2, like many returning CW series, is not slated to premiere until January 2021.
Rose landed the role of Kate Kane/Batwoman in August 2018, following a brief search for an out LGBTQ actress to portray the famously gay vigilante. But within a week, Rose had shut off Comments on her Instagram after a wave of backlash.
“Where on earth did ‘Ruby is not a lesbian therefore she can’t be batwoman’ come from — has to be the funniest most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read,” she posted. “I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with ‘she’s too gay’ how do y’all flip it like that?” She added that the time since her casting had been a “rollercoaster,” and that she would take a break from Twitter to focus on work. “If you need me,” she signed off, “I’ll be on my Bat Phone.”
Last September, Rose shared (with a graphic video) that she had months prior undergone emergency surgery after herniating two discs while performing stunts on an unspecified project. She said the injury came close to severing her spinal cord, leaving her in “chronic pain.”
This article was originally published on yahoo.com/entertainment.
