Ruby Rose Quits Twitter Following Trolling Over ‘Batwoman’ Casting
By Robert Mitchell
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Ruby Rose has become the latest actor to abandon a social media account due to online trolling. The Australian actress, who co-stars with Jason Statham in this weekend’s global box office champ “The Meg,” quit Twitter and deactivated public comments on her Instagram account over the weekend following social media backlash against her casting as “Batwoman” in The CW’s “Arrowverse,” which was announced last week.
The openly gay actor faced a range of criticism over her casting as the character, reintroduced by DC Comics in 2006 as a lesbian of Jewish descent. Some of that criticism focused on Rose not being Jewish, but the comments that appear to have caused her to leave were those suggesting she wasn’t the right actress to play a lesbian superhero.
Before deleting her Twitter account, Rose posted a series of tweets addressing the issue, which she described as “the funniest most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read.”
Rose tweeted: “Where on Earth did ‘Ruby is not a lesbian therefore she can’t be ’ come from – has to be the funniest most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read. I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with ‘she’s too gay’ how do y’all flip it like that? I didn’t change. I wish we would all support each other and our journeys.”
When the news of her casting as Batwoman was revealed last week, Rose posted her excitement at being able to play the first LGBT hero to lead a live-action TV show. Rose said: “This is a childhood dream. This is something I would have died to have seen on TV when I was a young member of the LGBT community who never felt represented on TV and felt alone and different.”
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Before signing off her Twitter account, Rose said she would be taking a “break from Twitter to focus all my energy on my next 2 projects,” adding “If you need me, I’ll be on my Bat Phone.”
Rose is the latest actor to abandon a social media account because of online trolls. In June, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” actress Kelly Marie Tran quit Instagram following racist and sexist abuse, while “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown quit Twitter later the same month after being targeted with a homophobic meme.
Rose will make her debut in The CW’s “Arrowverse” in the annual crossover event between the four existing shows “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” and “Supergirl,” which is set to air in December. A series based on the character is in development which, if it gets picked up, would debut in the 2019-2020 season.
“Batwoman” will follow the hero’s alter-ego Kate Kane, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind on the streets of Gotham. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.
Caroline Dries will serve as writer and executive producer on the superhero series, with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter also executive producing through Berlanti Productions, which will produce the show in association with Warner Bros. Television. Former head of DC Entertainment Geoff Johns will also serve as executive producer for Mad Ghost Productions.
Rose’s breakout role was as Stella in Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black.” She has since gone on to star in franchise films including “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” “xXx: Return of Xander Cage,” “John Wick: Chapter Two” and “Pitch Perfect 3.”
