Ruby Rose Finally Gets Candid About Why She Left Batwoman

Ruby Rose's tenure as Kate Kane on the CW's Batwoman was a wild ride from start to finish. When she announced in May 2020 that she was hanging up the bat suit and red wig after just one season, it opened a floodgate of speculation as to why she would step down from a role that meant so much to her. Of course, the statements from both Rose and the network issued at the time of her departure were pretty vague, sticking to the facts and not getting into what motivated Rose's decision. Now, Rose is ready to give us some more insight into exactly why she chose to walk away from the show.

Rose recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her departure from Batwoman – which, from the sound of it, was a complicated decision. While there were several factors at play, Rose noted that the lockdowns imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic gave her the space to really think about her life and what would make her happy. 

"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," she explained.

While introspection amid quarantine may have been the catalyst for Rose to make the decision to exit the series, there were some other circumstances that played into her big decision.

First and foremost, it should be noted that being the star of a 20-episode-per-season superhero show is no easy task. Rose touched on this during her Entertainment Weekly interview, saying with a knowing laugh, "Being the lead of a superhero show is tough. Being the lead in anything is tough."

What makes it even tougher? Suffering a serious injury that required back surgery, which happened to Rose on the set of Batwoman. While Rose clarified that the herniated discs she was left with after performing Batwoman stunts weren't the reason she decided to leave the show, she did say that the injury made an already hard process even more challenging. 

"I think, in that particular instance, it was a lot more difficult because I was still recovering from my surgery," she shared. "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. [...] 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."

Rose also reflected on the fact that she went back to work earlier than she should have: "I had my surgery and then 10 days later I went to work, which maybe wasn't the best idea." She went on to say, "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."

Despite her premature departure from the show, Rose is grateful for the experience she had, and will always think fondly of her time playing Kate Kane. 

"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," she said. "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."

She also had encouraging words for her Batwoman replacement, Javicia Leslie: "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."