Ruby Rose fought back tears as she discussed her upcoming role as Batwoman, the first openly gay superhero to headline a TV series.
The Australian actress, who is starring in The Meg alongside Jason Statham, appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday.
Rose revealed she found out about the role moments before the Los Angeles premiere of The Meg on Monday and avoided journalists on the red carpet because she kept “spontaneously crying”.
.@RubyRose gets emotional about being cast as Batwoman pic.twitter.com/vWpfuTbagE
— Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) August 9, 2018
Rose, 32, told Fallon she used to make bat wings and jump off “high places” when she was a child but now she will “get ones that aren’t made of cardboard”.
Rose, known for starring in TV series Orange Is The New Black, appeared visibly emotional and added: “I am so thrilled. I feel like the reason I kept getting so emotional is because when I was growing up watching TV, I never saw someone I could identify with, let alone a superhero.”
On Instagram, she said as a young member of the LGBT community she never felt represented on TV, adding she was “thrilled and honoured” to play Batwoman.
Rose will be introduced as Batwoman in a December crossover event between The CW Network’s other DC Comics shows, Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl.
A stand-alone series about Batwoman, whose real name is Kate Kane, is in development for the 2019-20 TV season.
Kane is described as a highly trained street fighter with a passion for social justice.