Angelique Martin knows what she's about. In Batwoman Season 2, the foster kid-turned-drug dealer has made a life for herself without anyone's help, and she has no intentions of changing that for anything -- even her ex-girlfriend Ryan Wilder, who went to prison on her behalf. Now, despite Ryan's pleas for her to change her ways, Angelique has embedded herself further into Gotham City's notorious False Face Society. Worse, she cut Ryan off after discovering the spyware tech that Ryan installed on her phone, spelling more tragedy for the on-again/off-again couple as Ryan grapples with her terminal Kryptonite poisoning diagnosis.
Speaking to CBR, Batwoman star Bevin Bru offered a glimpse into Angelique's background and motivations. She broke down Angelique's sense of self-worth and how critically important that is to how she navigates both her life and her relationship with Ryan. She teased a moment between Angelique and Ryan that might earn her "a little drizzle of hate mail," as well as Angelique's "fun" dynamic with Ocean. She also shared her personal love for The CW's Arrowverse shows and all other comic book media, what it means to be part of a show that revolves aournd LGBTQA+ storylines and more.
CBR: Tell me a little about how you landed this role.
Bevin Bru: Well, the funny thing is, I had already auditioned for this casting director probably eight times for different projects and maybe gone into a producer session here, a little something there. Never, ever booked anything. So the audition came in, and I was like, "All right! Let's go! Ninth time's the charm, hopefully."
It arrived on Monday. It was about two pages of sides. Boom. Tuesday, I put it on tape. My agent was like, "Okay, love it, but let's change one or two things." And I was like, "Alright, my roommate is out right now, because she helps me... I don't know when she's gonna come back. Hopefully, she's back in time, and the sun is still up." My roommate got back literally with like 15 minutes of light left. I had gone for a walk. I was a little sweaty. My makeup wasn't perfect anymore. We threw it on tape. We got it to my agent. She was like, "Yes! Love it!" And I'm like, [gasps] "Really? That one? I don't even look good, man! The lighting is getting crazy." She sent it in... Friday, we heard the pin was in. Monday, I booked it. I mean, it's my first TV role. So when I booked that, yeah, I cried a little bit. You can just say that. Just a little bit! Like one tear. One tough tear.
As a member of the LGBTQA+ community, what has it meant to you to be a part of a series like this?
Honestly, to me, it's like, "This makes sense." If ever I was gonna have the opportunity to be on a TV show, my first one, this is it. This is in line with everything I believe in, in line with the kind of content I watch. Because sometimes, as actors, in the beginning, you kind of got to take whatever you book and it might not really be a genre you're into or a specific network that you care for. I love The CW. I watched Arrow; I've seen The Flash. I watched all the X-Men movies. To me, they are brilliant films. I'm all about it.
So literally, it was just all-around the most perfect project and the role I get to play of being Batwoman's ex/current girlfriend. I was raised by two mothers, so that's all I know. That makes sense to me. It just felt so good. So good! So right. Oh my gosh. You're right, it's such a groundbreaking show, and it just started. You don't even know what's about to go down this season. Shit is about to go down! It is so good.
Were you familiar with the comics at all? How did the fact Angelique is a totally brand new character impact the way you approached the role?
Funny enough, I have actually only read two comic books in my life, because I was so intimidated by actually reading comic books. I always felt self-conscious that I wouldn't understand how to read them correctly. If I looked at the picture first or the words, if I was gonna ruin the jokes for myself or not get it. I was basically terrified of comic books. I was like, "Just give me a regular book with black-and-white words on it, and I'll figure it out." But comic books, it was so sensational. I felt like I was gonna screw it up.
So I watch all the movies, and so I watched all of Gotham. Obviously, I watched all of Season 1 Batwoman. I've already watched so many different kinds of DC shows over the years that I kind of get it. Again, knowing your network, knowing The CW, knowing the tone of the shows, just understanding the demographic, who we're catering to: the young adults audience. So just really understanding all of those more technical aspects.
Then the thing is, I think it's perfect for me, because Angelique is not in the comic books, but she's stepping into the comic world. I am so scared of comic books, but I'm stepping into the comic world. So I coined her as the "everyman or woman's villain." She's just a regular person in this world where there's superpowers and tech and then Kryptonite and all the exciting, almost supernatural super-science elements. It's Angelique, who is just a girl you could have known in high school. You know what I mean? A girl you'd probably meet at a party. She's just this regular "villain," because of the way she lives her life. It's not what everyone expects to be normal or acceptable in society -- you know, the dealing of the Snakebite. I can't say too much. But some of the choices she makes, I feel like I understood bringing a real-life character into a comic book universe that has never existed in it, like a marriage of the two.
If you were taking Angelique out for a night on the town, how would you describe her to your friends?
Oh god! All right. I'm gonna be like, "Okay, check it out. My girl Angelique is coming. At first, she might seem a little intense, but trust me, she has the heart of an earthworm. She is super, super down-to-earth. She might ask you some inappropriate questions. She might be a little touchy-feely. She's just like a kid. She's a kid inside, trapped in an adult body. She's so much fun, though. We're gonna have a blast. If the cops come, you better hide her ass, tuck her away in a closet and just make sure that the Gotham PD does not get ahold of her." That what I would say. I'm looking out for her!
Which aspect of Angelique's character do you relate to the most and why?
I think I relate to her almost illogical logic. In my life, I believe my logic is 100% and some people will be like, "Bevin, what the hell are you doing? That doesn't make any sense." And I'm like, "Actually, yes it does, for reasons X, Y and Z." Angelique is like, "I am sober. I'm healthy. My life is together. I'm dealing Snakebite to make money because I can make buku money selling Snakebite. Now, why am I gonna go work at Banana Republic and make minimum wage when I can make $10G a week selling Snakebite? I'm healthy. I'm sober. I can pay my bills."
So I kind of have logic like that, where people are like, "Yes, but no," and I'm like, "Trust me. I got it." But she has that air about her, where it's like, "Maybe you don't understand what I'm doing, but just trust me. I got it." In the end, she might not have it so much, but in her heart, she's like, "I got it." I mean, there's so many aspects of her that I relate to, but I think that one is the one calling to me right now in this moment.
I'm going to be honest, I was as surprised as Ryan when Angelique revealed she has no intention of leaving her drug-running behind. What do you think it is that draws her to this life?
Okay, so she started in the foster care system. The backstory I have created for her was her dad was this amazing bank robber in Gotham. Super resourceful, in the criminal underbelly, but not a murderer way -- a very smart way -- and her mother was almost like Natural Born Killers. She was not well in the head, very addicted to the father, kind of his accomplice. Dad gets shot by Gotham PD, mom gets taken away and put in Blackgate and then I go into foster care.
So Angelique does come from not a broken home. She came from a lot of love from her parents, and then was thrown into the foster care system. Unlike Ryan, she never got adopted. Of course, I am not a child of the foster care system, but I can only imagine and my interpretation is that will do something to your psyche, to your self-worth, to the things that you then desire: the want and need to find that love you once had and experienced, and to find that need to belong, to be chosen by something, to feel special. So she falls into this dealing.
Especially now that she's sober, it's almost empowering. It's like, "I'm a part of this thing. It's not bringing me down. I get to hang out with amazing, cool people. I feel like I have status. They'll call me. I can tell them to go F themselves if they don't have the cash. I feel powerful. I make a lot of money. My apartment is beautiful." I think that that's a lot of people who might sell drugs or whatnot get into it for those reasons. You make a lot of money. It is exciting. You feel like you're a part of this special, underground cool kids club. We ride with each other; I know who connect to do this, this and that. That feeds into your ego, feeds into your insecurities, and it really fed into hers.
You know, she doesn't see another way. She doesn't see that she's capable of more. She doesn't believe that she could do more. That's just the juxtaposition to where Ryan is at, where Ryan had the opportunity to be adopted by a wonderful, loving mother. Unfortunately, she was taken from her by Alice's gang, and Ryan now has an opportunity to be Batwoman. That has obviously given her the boost that she needs to find her power.
So it's almost like Angelique's version of becoming Batwoman was joining the False Face and dealing drugs and feeling powerful that route, because in life, you will only ever amount to that which you believe you are worth, and that's exactly what we see here, playing out. For whatever reason why you feel you're worth that, that's what you're going to amount to. Angelique believes the best she can do is deal these drugs, and on paper, it looks good, man. She's making a lot of money. She knows everyone who's anyone. Celebrities call her. And then on paper for Ryan, it's becoming Batwoman, saving the city, vigilante, self-worth, right? And you see it played out right there, two prime examples of how self-worth plays into people's lives.
Now I'm seeing Angelique as the Catwoman to Ryan's Batman.
Oh, I like that! I wouldn't mind wearing that cat suit. That is one sexy costume!
As more details about Ryan's condition come to light, how might that impact Angelique's relationship with her?
So like I said, again, Angelique is very childlike. She kind of froze in maturity in the best times of her life, which were right before she got into the home. I'd call it around eight, nine. When you hurt a kid, it's black and white. In Angelique's eyes, as we've seen up until this point, yes, Ryan went to prison for her. Angelique obviously tried to apologize, but Ryan cut the cord, and finally we come back with the Candy Lady.
From that point forward, Angie is down to do whatever -- whatever -- for Ryan, whether it's pay the medical bill for the wound, whether it's make sure her ass is covered at the party at tje art collective, right? She's like, "I will do anything for you. I got you." And for that kind of betrayal, to that childlike, devoted soul, what Ryan did to her -- plant a tracking device on her phone -- that's one of the deepest cuts. It's like, "You would have never done that. You went to jail for me! Who are you? You've never done that." So it really came as a shock to her. She was like, "You're done. I'm out. This is over."
This Sunday's episode -- I can't say too much. [laughs] I feel like maybe I'll get a little drizzle of hate mail, perhaps, a little touch of it for what goes down, but you'll see. You'll actually see. It's going to be a very beautiful arc, what ends up happening between the two, and then a lot of growth. I think it is going to speak to what I've just previously spoke about the worth and when you change your perception of yourself, your self-worth, your life changes. So I think that'll come into play. That's what I can safely say.
So far, we've only really seen Angelique interact with Ryan. How soon until we see her run into some of the other series regulars?
Well, my first scene was actually with Sophie and with Alice, that first opening scene when I was in Ocean's apartment. Definitely in the second half of the next couple of episodes coming up, you're gonna see me cross paths with a few more of the series regulars. Maybe a handful.
Aside from Ryan, obviously, who would you say Angelique has the most interesting dynamic with and why?
Oh, gosh, I don't want to give stuff away... So I mean, obviously, I work with Ocean. I was in his apartment. So I think that dynamic will show itself and be fun as well when that dynamic comes to fruition.
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from an upcoming episode?
Oh, there's just this one scene that, both as an actress and as the character -- it was like the thing that, when you're an actor and you're telling a story, that you would kill for these moments when you really just step into the shoes of that character, and it comes out of you. I have that moment with Ryan when Angelique is extremely vulnerable for her, in a way we've not seen at all. And that moment, I just felt like I really honored that character's experience and I was able to glue a bit of myself into it. It was a beautiful moment, both as an artist and for the characters. I'm really excited for that episode and that moment, among many others.
What would be your dream story arc for Angelique?
I think it would almost be like she somehow swings the other way and just becomes a straight-up villain, like something just happens and you see this deep betrayal or something occurs or even, like I said, she has this weird logic or something that she just becomes a really scrappy, evil villain and ends up fighting Batwoman, not knowing that they're fighting each other. You know, if Angelique had an alias kind of thing, a costume where you don't know what's her and she doesn't know that Ryan's Batwoman and they end up just going after each other while still being lovers in real life.
I think that would be like the craziest, most fun storyline to play out... It's like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in that the whole thing they don't know that they're both trying to kill each other or something like that... That would be it. I'd be like, "Oh my god, that's so dope!"
Batwoman stars Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, Rachel Skarsten as Alice, Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore, Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox, Dougray Scott as Jacob Kane and Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton-Kane. New episodes air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.