Actor Ruby Rose began releasing emails and messages to support her allegations about dangerous set conditions during her time on The CW's Batwoman.
On Instagram, Rose shared emails between herself and talent manager Carol Bodie regarding how Rose was "so close to being done" with the show in February 2020. The series of images begins with Rose stating that "she won't take crumbs" and demanding better from the industry.
Though he was called out by Rose previously, the actor wrote, "I actually like Greg [Berlanti]. I still want to believe he has a human side.. so this hard but again, not in the report because the report is... Wow way too intense to have to release." Rose also claimed that her "work ethic was never questioned until [she] was injured and walked and walked and stayed and was fired."
Shifting her focus back to showrunner Caroline Dries, Rose wrote that she was "deciding between releasing Caroline [Dries]'s email about not being an LGBT activist or feminist," alleging that the showrunner was "monetizing gays" and "how she found the desire to 'make people feel included.'" Rose then shared an email she sent to Dries with the request that there be no yelling on set to keep "morale up" and prevent people on set from "losing their temper and getting aggressive," with Rose feeling as though she had to be the "comedic relief" to keep the situation at a workable level. A response included by Dries had the showrunner saying, "people need some coping skills" and that it sounded as though the situation was "a reaction to stress/time crunch," asking for director Holly Dale's advice on dealing with the issue. Rose noted in her post that Dale was not directing the episode where the behavior was being experienced while shooting.
Rose then showed a screenshot of what appears to be a conversation with Luke Fox actor Camrus Johnson (seen on the screen as "Cam") from June 2019, where she told him about how she was expected to "shoot two covers [that] week but there was just not a chance in hell" she could wear the suit, including a photo showing the aftermath of her neck injury, saying, "Gonna have a sick scar lol." The other party said that they were "glad" Rose "turned them down" for the shoot, though in the next post, Rose stated that she did the cover shoot anyway, implying that she did not have a choice and would reveal "more on that tomorrow." Johnson previously alleged that Rose's initial claims consisted of "a lot of lies."
Rose also shared a story written by CBR that detailed production assistant Alexander J. Baxter's experience working with Rose on the set of Batwoman, where he referred to the actor as "a dictator to work for." While Rose claimed that she does not see Baxter credited on IMDb or call sheets, CBR vetted Baxter prior to publication and received proof of his time on Batwoman Season 1.
The next few story posts by Rose discuss the investigation into her injury and having to do an EW cover shoot just days after surgery. According to the included emails to Bodie, the investigation was originally going to be held while every show was filming the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover, the busiest time for The CW superhero shows' crews and casts. While Rose said that she would be unable to get into the suit for the cover shoot following her surgery, it was requested in an email that she be "in the costume" for both and shoot and video questions because "everyone else did." Other documented requests include if Rose would "be up for shooting" a congratulations for someone's Bar Mitzvah.
The last of the story posts details a previously unmentioned issue with the set's atmosphere and how it affected Rose following her neck surgery. "Because of the incision/open wound through my throat to do spinal surgery," she wrote. "Atmos/The chemicals and fog at the time would close my throat up entirely." The final post features a message from Joel Parchomchuk, who stated to Bodie that he had lied to Rose about the atmospheric levels on set.
Rose's departure from Batwoman was announced in May 2020, the character of Kate Kane later recast with Krypton's Wallis Day and Batwoman proper being replaced by Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder. The actor made her initial allegations about the working conditions last week, writing, "Enough is enough" as she called out Dries and Berlanti Productions' Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. "I'm going to tell the whole world what really happened on that set." She opened up regarding an injury she sustained while filming, alleged that Jacob Kane actor Dougray Scott "hurt a female stunt double" and "was a nightmare," cited an incident where "a woman was left quadriplegic" and discussed other unsafe set conditions and demands.
Following her initial allegations, responses denying her claims began to surface. Warner Bros. Television Group issued a statement saying, "Despite the revisionist history that Ruby Rose is now sharing online aimed at the producers, the cast and crew, the network, and the Studio, the truth is that Warner Bros. Television had decided not to exercise its option to engage Ruby for season two of BATWOMAN based on multiple complaints about workplace behavior that were extensively reviewed and handled privately out of respect for all concerned." Scott also came out against Rose to refute the "defamatory and damaging claims" she made against him.
Rose's allegations began days after DC FanDome, where the show's third season was discussed. In her first string of story posts, Rose wrote, "Please to my dear, dear fans stop asking if I will return to that awful show, I wouldn't return for any amount of money or if a gun were to my head."
Source: Instagram