Ruby Rose, fresh from her casting announcement as Batwoman, took to Jimmy Fallon’s sofa on The Tonight Show to discuss the significance of her casting and why she felt drawn to the role.
Rose, who will debut as Kate Kane in The CW’s annual superhero crossover event this autumn, said she wept when she found out she had been cast. She was moments from walking the red carpet to promote forthcoming Jason Statham-vs-a-giant-shark motion picture, The Meg, when she received the news.
“It’s a game-changer. I found out an hour before I did the premiere for The Meg and I was so nervous doing the red carpet so I basically skipped everybody because I kept spontaneously crying,” she said.
“I feel like the reason I got so emotional is that growing up, watching TV, I never saw someone on TV that I could identify with, let alone a superhero, you know? And …” Rose took a moment to blink away tears. “I said I wouldn’t do that,” she joked.
Rose identifies as genderfluid and as a lesbian so her casting as a character confirmed to be explicitly gay is one for the history books. She will be the first LGBT+ character to front their own superhero series.
“I’ve always had this saying — well, not me, Oscar Wilde — but same thing. Which is, ‘be yourself because everyone else is taken.’ So I always live by that motto and my second motto when I came into the industry is, ‘be the person you needed when you were younger.’ And I feel like one motto led me to the other and I just kept crying about it.”
Rose also stated her happiness at now being able to visit unwell children in hospital in costume.
Batwoman will be introduced this autumn and if Ruby Rose’s portrayal goes down well The CW will likely green-light a full series. But with the channel’s track record on spot-on casting it’s likely we will see more of the character.
More updates on Batwoman as we get them.