The world of superheros continues to diversify, and fortunately Ruby Rose is the latest historic addition to the DC Universe. On Tuesday, Rose revealed that she’ll be playing Batwoman with an emotional Instagram post. During an equally emotional appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Wednesday night, the Australian actress explained why the role is so important to her.
"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?" she said, before pausing to fight off tears. "I said I wouldn't do that."
Rose became a household name thanks to her breakout role as Stella in Netflix'sOrange Is the New Black. As an openly queer actress, Rose entering the Arrowverse (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow) as DC’s premiere lesbian character symbolizes her becoming the representation she needed to see growing up.
"I've always had this saying—well, not me, Oscar Wilde—but same thing. Which is 'Be yourself because everyone else is taken,'” she told Fallon. “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." She also revealed she made bat wings out of cardboard as a child "and I would sleep in them and I would run around in them and I would jump off high things."
"And now you're Batwoman," Fallon said.
"And now I'll get ones that aren't made of cardboard," Rose replied.
Batwoman, real name is Kate Kane, was reintroduced into DC as an openly gay in 2006. If Rose’s appearance in the CW Arrowverse goes well, she may even get her own show for the 2019-20 season. Caroline Dries is serving as the writer and executive producer for the pilot, with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schehter will also executive producing.
