Why did Ruby Rose leave 'Batwoman'? How show lost its lead star after 1st season and who replaced her
It was in mid-May when Ruby Rose, the actor who played the titular role in The CW series 'Batwoman' announced that she will no longer be a part of the series. At that time, she had said in the press statement, "I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season. This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles."
She had then added, "I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created. Thank you Peter Roth and Mark Pedowitz and the teams at Warner Bros and The CW who put so much into the show and always believed in me. Thank you to everyone who made Season one a success — I am truly grateful."
It was only later that the actor opened up about how taxing it was to play the lead role especially in the face of the surgery that she had required while working on the first season. In an interview with EW, the actor has said, "Being the lead of a superhero show is tough. [Laughs] Being the lead in anything is tough," and added, "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, 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."
Rose hadn't realized the extent of her injuries, not while she worked on 'Batwoman', but while shooting for the film 'The Doorman', she had come to realize and this played a huge part in her decision as well. She explained that the challenge was far outweighed and said, "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. And I love my experience in [Batwoman]. I'm 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."
While the injury did play a part in her decision, that was not the only reason. It was also reported that the actor might not have been able to work around the long hours that were required for being a part of the show, especially one broadcast on The CW. She had answered about how big a part the injury played in her decision and had said, "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. 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. 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."
The actor who has repeatedly said that she was honored to portray Batwoman on-screen also said that she was excited to watch out for the second season starring Javicia Leslie and said, "I think she definitely knows what she's doing and she seems fantastic," and added, "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."