Australian model, DJ, boxer, recording artist, actor, television presenter, and MTV VJ, Ruby Rose pursued a career in acting from 2008 onwards. Her debut performance in the Australian film Suite for Fleur helped land her the role as Stella Carlin in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black. Ruby then went to larger roles, including as Abigail in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, as Adele Wolff in Return of Xander Cage, and her unforgettable appearance as the mute assassin/bodyguard Ares in John Wick:Chapter 2. Ruby also appeared as Calamity in the musical comedy Pitch Perfect 3, as Jaxx in The Meg, and as Kate Kane/Batwoman in CW’s Arrowverse.
In the tense action-thriller Dirty Angels, Rose joins a group of female soldiers disguised as medics to rescue a group of teenagers caught between ISIS and the forces of the Taliban.
How did you prepare for the physical demands of this role? Did you go through a boot camp?
Ruby Rose: We did. We got lucky. You don’t always have a rehearsal period but we had about three weeks of bootcamp. I can’t imagine doing a role like this, where the day before you walk on set. There’s this camaraderie among all the soldiers, where you’re all talking. To me, that was incredibly important. We had real advisors on set to tell us about what was going on and the sacrifices being made when they got into these wars. There’s not that many women in these situations. We wanted to create something that people can watch, to show combat on the front line and when they return home.
Do you have a favorite scene? And why do you like it?
Rose: My favorite was the introduction scene, where we’re all sitting around the table and we get to know each character. I think it really plays well. We had a wonderful time doing the scene, enjoying each other in that moment. It would be hard for me to bring up any other scene without giving a spoiler away. I will say that my heart was completely in it because the film is so emotional. It does allow you to see the line between good and bad, and that it’s really not that definitive. It reveals that the cost we pay when we go to some of these wars is a lot higher than people are ever willing to admit.
What did you find most challenging about this film and playing a commando?
Rose: I don’t know if I experienced any real challenges in the film. We were really all in it.
I could name some but other projects were also difficult. I think maybe because this was such a collaborative group. We had the responsibility, as actors to show that someone’s done this and that somewhere this is really going on in the world. I just felt that sense of survival and really contemplated the difficulties of being an actor in portraying something so emotionally powerful. Whenever there’s a loss or there’s a great injury to anyone on either side, I found portraying that to be quite challenging.
Did you take martial arts training? You show a lot of skill on the screen.
Ruby: I trained in boxing and other things as well. I also surf. I think that’s a real skill.
The scene where you fire that RPG. What was that like?
Rose: That was a real weapon. I was surprised by how incredibly heavy it was. Lifting it and carrying it around was no joke, although I still handled it better than I thought I would. For some reason, I have really good muscles in that particular area, so I was able to lift it quite well. I thought what is this? They can’t have this in the military. It’s too heavy. But aside from that, I think it was difficult if you think about it as not being an actor, that this is a person and what she’s doing all became very difficult. Because you’re confronted with the reality of it all. But as far as being an actor just going through the movements, it’s not so difficult. However, I was exhausted the whole time, and Ava and I were both bleeding a little bit.
You’ve done both TV and films. What have you learned about show business that really surprised you?
Rose: As an Australian coming from poverty, I never realized that I’d have such a good time doing something I loved while getting paid. I’m learning things from people of every age, gender, and demographic you can imagine. Working with people is such an exhilarating experience because you get to understand humanity. You get to see and learn from people that you’re inspired by. And you become a mini-expert on things. For example, you get to work with actual military people to do a film like this; or in the Meg, I was working with a biologist. And in John Wick 2, I got to work with an assassin. You learn parts of an entirely different culture, career, or character and those things will stay with you forever.
What film or actor inspired you to become an actor?
Rose: Angelina Jolie. Seeing films like Gia and Girl Interrupted, but also who she was as a person with all her tattoos. She didn’t care what people thought about the things she’d say. She didn’t care about winning the most sexy person award, and that a woman hadn’t won it before. And I remember thinking that she really doesn’t seem to care about what anybody thinks. I was much younger and I just saw her as someone that did incredible things. She was also at that time, de-mining land mines and doing stuff with UNICEF and all parts of the world. She was doing incredible things so I was inspired by her.
Can you talk a bit about your work as a recording artist and model?
Rose: Oh, that would be so boring (laughs). I can’t sing anymore because I had surgery. Besides, I was never a very good model. People say I was good at it but I think it was more me hosting MTV, which opened up some opportunities, but I was never much of a model. I’m only 5’7” and I’m definitely too old now. But I love acting because modeling is difficult and much harder than acting. I’m also not pretty enough to be the model. Models are incredibly intelligent, beautiful women. I could never do it, but I love the fact that there are a lot of skills attached to what I do. So for me that adds a lot of value to what I do.
What were you like in high school? The girl most likely to…?
Rose: (laughs). I was probably the most bullied girl at school. I had a horrible experience. I was hospitalized. It was really awful. I knew better times would start when I left high school. I don’t mind talking about it because I think if anyone’s watching at home and going through a tough time or they don’t have the support they need, there other support people you can draw on. My hardships as a young person made me decide to get into the job that I’m in today. I don’t know if I could’ve had the drive to come from a small town in Australia all the way to Hollywood in LA without the challenges that made me stronger and want to make something of myself.
Dirty Angels will premiere in select movie theaters on December 13th.
