Ruby Rose, the former star of The CW’s Batwoman series, finally revealed to fans the true reason for her sudden departure from the show. In May 2020, Rose stepped down from her lead role as Kate Kane. Her resignation from the show was never a secret, but the details as to why have remained hidden, until now.
Who knows what exactly sparked Rose to suddenly state, “Enough is enough. I’m going to tell the world what really happened on that set.” It could be due to the fact that Batwoman has since replaced Rose and chose actress Wallis Day to carry on the role. Perhaps this is Rose’s way of protecting and warning those such as Day, who may be newcomers to this cast, that this is not a safe space to work at all or to simply spread awareness. Whatever the reason, Rose chose to lead with vulnerability and shared many appalling instances that she had either experienced herself or bore witness to while on the set of Batwoman.
On her Instagram stories, Rose laid out allegations of harm and called three specific people out by name: Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries, former co-star Dougray Scott, and former Warner Brothers TV Chairman, Peter Roth. Rose claimed that Dries was much more concerned with the production and continuation of filming during the pandemic than she ever was regarding the safety of the cast and crew’s health. She referenced that at the height of the pandemic, while other shows were shutting down due to COVID, Dries simply rushed to get the series finished as quickly as possible. Rose also claimed that her co-star, Scott, had quite an arrogant and egotistical air about him while he worked. She described him as straight-up unprofessional and stated that “he left when he wanted and arrived when he wanted.” She also revealed that he had injured a female stunt double while she was on set and overall abused women at his leisure.
Warner Bros. Television Group has now issued a response to Rose's claims. In a statement, the studio appears to accuse Rose herself of unprofessional behavior and called her account of events "revisionist history." According to the release, the studio decided against bringing Rose back for Batwoman season 2 "based on multiple complaints about workplace behavior that were extensively reviewed and handled privately out of respect for all concerned."
Roth, who stepped down from his position at Warner Brothers a year ago after 22 solid years, was also accused by Rose of harassing women on the set of Batwoman. Rose stated that she recalled several memories on set where Roth would make women steam his pants while they were on his body. Rose even mentioned that for some strange reason Roth hired a private investigator to stalk and follow her around. Rose claims that when Roth didn’t find “what he was looking for” (a.k.a. dirt to dig up on her), he subsequently fired the investigator.
Unfortunately, Rose's horror stories don’t stop there, as she also endured and witnessed multiple injuries during her time on set as well. She received a neck injury during a stunt and instead of being given the proper time to heal, she was threatened to be fired by Roth if she didn’t return in a timely manner. Rose even watched as a stunt double suffered three-degree burns and a PA who was left a quadriplegic. Warner Brothers continues to face backlash surrounding its various other superhero projects as well, and the company will continue to be held accountable. As traumatizing as the harassment and misconduct is to recount, toxic work environments can no longer continue to be shoved under the rug.
Batwoman airs on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. on The CW.
Source: Ruby Rose/Instagram, Collider