Ruby Rose opens up about why she left the CW’s Batwoman after one season

Ruby Rose shocked fans when she announced she was leaving Batwoman after one season – and now she’s opened up about why.

Batwoman star Ruby Rose has opened up about why she left the show after just one season.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said that a back injury on set last year did factor into her shock decision – but she also inferred there was more behind the move.

“Being the lead of a superhero show is tough. Being the lead in anything is tough,” Rose told the publication.

“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.”

Rose, 34, herniated two discs while doing stunts, causing her “chronic pain” and led to “emergency surgery” to fix the problem, which happened during filming of the superhero series, which streams on Binge.

“Most people take about a month or three off before they return to work, so it was definitely made more difficult by that,” the Australian actress said.

“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.”

After she left the show, sources suggested Rose’s departure was not entirely her choice, calling it “a break-up”.

Rose has remained fairly tight-lipped on the controversy since then, only saying that it “wasn’t an easy decision, but those who know, know”.

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Ruby Rose played Batwoman for one season before announcing she was leaving the show in May. Picture: Kimberley French/The CW

However, Rose told EW that her exit “wasn’t so much (the injury), especially because after we wrapped up we didn’t get to finish the real finale because of COVID,” suggesting that “isolation” during the coronavirus crisis led to self-reflection about whether to stay.

“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 said.

“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.”

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She said that she “loved” working on the show and was “so grateful that we got to achieve everything that we did, and I’m proud of everyone that worked on it. 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.”

Rose added that she was “honoured” to portray an LGBTQ version of the character for the first time on TV.

In July, the CW announced that actress Javicia Leslie, 33, was signed to don Batwoman’s cape and cowl as a new character on the show, Ryan Wilder.

US actress Javicia Leslie has been announced as Ruby Rose’s Batwoman replacement. Picture: Kena Betancur/AFP

“I am extremely proud to be the first black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honoured to join this groundbreaking show, which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community,” Leslie said.

The series is expected to return in January.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission