The Batwoman Beef With Ruby Rose Just Keeps Getting Messier
If you've been following the recent brouhaha between Warner Bros. and its former Batwoman, Ruby Rose, you know what a mess that whole thing has become. It all started back in 2020, when Rose left The CW's "Batwoman" after a season. Later, she spoke to Entertainment Weekly about breaking her neck on a stunt and the resulting complications that she said contributed to her exit. However, yesterday Rose posted a series of Instagram stories accusing Warner Bros. of creating dangerous work conditions that led to more than one accident and specifically named executives who she believes bullied and abused her, contributing to a toxic work environment (via Buzzfeed).
Warner Bros. struck back immediately, issuing a statement that said Rose was fired for "multiple complaints about workplace behavior that were extensively reviewed and handled privately out of respect for all concerned" (via TVLine). While Rose is getting support online, with Redditors talking about how bad they've heard conditions are on The CW sets, another volley has been fired in the ongoing war that seems to be just getting more intense. A production assistant on "Batwoman" has released a statement saying he is siding with Warner Bros.
Crew member on Batwoman called season 1 Rose's 'reign of cruelty'
Former PA Alexander J. Baxter, who is also the founder of Constellate Films, told Comic Book Resources (CBR) that his experience being in comic book-inspired shows — specifically, the first season of "Batwoman" — was "professional, dialed-in, and in every way fantastic" until Rose came along, from "day one" unable to perform most of her job due to injury. He said that the actress "showed up late most days, didn't have her lines memorized, and whenever she interacted with anyone below the line ... it was as though we were beneath her boots. She stormed off set, she yelled at people, and whenever she interacted with any of us production assistants, we were disregarded as the trash we picked up."
He outlined certain incidents. The crew spent a morning setting up her green room "only to have her show up, giggle, walk away and say she is good. We chalked it up to another 'Ruby is just giving orders for the sake of giving orders moment' and moved on," Baxter said. In another incident, she spilled her food while he was holding the door open for her in freezing cold weather, said "Well?" and stormed off. "That is what it felt like working beneath Ruby: cleaning up her mess. She never thanked us, she only made demands that left us all exhausted emotionally and physically," he said.
Rose made new crew members feel "uneasy and unsupported," Baxter said. "She was a dictator to work for, and having been nothing but a production assistant eager to get into the industry, she made me consider quitting," Baxter added. "I don't want to stand by and let her badmouth a company that she tried to screw over. No matter how bad your day, you have no right to be cruel. And season 1 was her reign of cruelty."
Harsh words. We can't help wondering if Rose will respond in some way — and if so, how. Stay tuned.