Ruby Rose is sharing more about her decision to leave Batwoman after just one season. The actress shocked fans in May as she announced her departure from the series, and in a new interview, Rose reveals there were two major factors that factored into her exit — her back injury and the coronavirus pandemic.
“Being the lead of a superhero show is tough. Being the lead in anything is tough,” Rose tells Entertainment Weekly. “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.”
Rose shared with fans last September that she had to undergo surgery after on-set injuries left her facing possible paralysis. “A couple of months ago I was told I needed an emergency surgery or I was risking becoming paralyzed,” she explained on Instagram. “I had herniated two discs doing stunts, and they were close to severing my spinal chord.
However, as Rose tells EW, her decision to leave wasn’t just about her 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,” the actress revealed. “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.”
“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,” she continued. “I’m very honored to have been able to play her.”
The CW and Warner Bros. Television announced on July 8 that Javicia Leslie will be replacing Rose as Batwoman, but playing a new character, Ryan Wilder, who steps into the superhero’s shoes after Rose’s Kate Kane disappears from Gotham.
“I think she definitely knows what she’s doing and she seems fantastic,” Rose shares. “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.”
