Ruby Rose Talks of Kicking Ass in 'The Doorman'

Fresh after her stint on "Batwoman," where she played television's first openly lesbian superhero, Ruby Rose is starring in the action thriller "The Doorman." The gender-fluid star talks to EDGE about kicking ass in the film.

In the new film "The Doorman," Ruby Rose plays an ex-Marine who will stop at nothing to defend her apartment building when it is attacked by mercenaries in search of valuable art hidden in its walls.

Directed by Ry�hei Kitamura, the action drama teams her with French actor Jean Reno, who leads the criminals in the siege of the upscale apartment building where Rose works as the doorman.

"Rose began filming 'The Doorman' after suffering an injury on the 'Batwoman' set eventually leading to her departure from that role," writes Entertainment Weekly, which will now be played by Javicia Leslie. Luckily, Rose was still able to perform stunts for the film."

She told EW that "she didn't realize the extent of her injuries until after her intense action scenes were already done on 'The Doorman,' and feels blessed she didn't hurt herself further."

Rose first caught the attention of audiences and critics in her breakout role as Stella Carlin on the Netflix comedy, debuting in the third season as an edgy inmate whose charisma catches the eye of 'Piper' (Taylor Schilling). Rose won a Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" for her work on that season.

She had the distinction of being the first openly lesbian superhero lead when she starred as Kate Kane on "Batwoman" when the series aired on the CW in October 2019. The series was renewed for a second season, but Rose chose not to return for a variety of reasons.

Rose, who came out to her mother when she was twelve, went public with being gender-fluid in 2015 when she wrote, produced, and starred in the short film "Break Free." In the film, which became a viral hit, she visually transforms from a very feminine woman to a heavily tattooed man. Rose was awarded the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 2016 GLAAD Media Awards, which is presented to an LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality and acceptance.

She also is the face of three global brands: Urban Decay, Swarovski and Nike. And has been quite active in film work, having appeared in such action films as Vin Diesel's "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage," the third installment in the franchise, "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" starring Milla Jovovich; and "John Wick: Chapter 2" alongside Keanu Reeves, Common and Ian McShane; as well as the comedy "Pitch Perfect 3" opposite Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson. She was also in the Warner Bros. action film "The Meg," with Jason Statham, which grossed over $500 million at the box office in 2018.

EDGE spoke to Rose about starring in "The Doorman," her fight moves in the film, and her part in the DC Universe.

EDGE: How did you get cast in "The Doorman?"

Ruby Rose: The director, Ry�hei Kitamura, came and asked me if I would do it. He said I have this role and I can't see anyone else playing her than you. We had a couple of lunch dates and discussed the script and the character. I love him as a director, and I love Jean Reno. For me, everything made sense – the script, the director, and the cinematography. And I wanted to work with Jean Reno. I was like, "let's do this!"

EDGE: Was there a lot of pressure for you as this is your first lead role?

Ruby Rose: Not really. As an actor, you do have to realize that you now have more than one job to do now. You now have a responsibility to make sure that everyone is comfortable and that you are communicating. Also, you want to make sure you have a good relationship with the cast and crew. I learned from Milla Jovovich, who is one of the kindest and sweetest people on the face of the earth. She cared about everybody on set and showed it. Also, from Keanu Reeves, who is the sweetest guy in the entire world. He is a fantastic example of a great number one on set. I have had such good people teach me how to set the tone on a set, so I knew going into it I knew what I wanted to be like for me and everyone else.

EDGE: Just from watching the trailer, I think fans will especially be blown away by your fight moves. Can you tell us about your training?

Ruby Rose: I feel like I have been training for this role for a long time. I did martial arts when I was young. I was an amateur boxer and I have always been into all kinds of extreme sports. When I did "Resident Evil," I learned wire work and when I did "John Wick," I learned so much more about stunts than I had in any other film I've worked in. So, by the time I got to this film, I had just finished with "Batwoman," so I was fit and my muscle memory was good. Ry�hei is really good at focusing on what your strengths are. Mine are usually upper-body strength, being quick, and dives and rolls. I am not good at high kicks, so he would just tell me to kick them in the shins. We did a lot of training because Ry�hei wants each fight to get progressively intense, longer, and more explosive.

EDGE: Do you have a favorite fight scene from the movie?

Ruby Rose: Yes, it is one that is towards the end. It's a very long sequence where we are running and then we are on this underpass and then going up a ladder to this tiny little platform. A lot was involved between guns, hand-to-hand combat and then a lot of him winning and then me winning. We are fighting with these poster containers on this tiny platform and I am like can it be any smaller. We could barely stand on this together. It was a really dynamic and fun scene to shoot.

EDGE: After watching the film for the first time, was it everything you imagined it would be?

Ruby Rose: I still haven't seen the final version. I've seen it without the special effects, and I have seen a version of it. Sometimes I would look around and be like, where is the camera? Is there even one here? Matthias Schubert, the cinematographer, is so good at using a drone or hiding the cameras you would sometimes forget you were filming a movie. I was always so curious to see how that all was going to work out in the final version.

EDGE: What was it like being part of the DC Comic world?

Ruby Rose: The best part is being the first person to ever play Kate Kane/Batwoman in live action. She is an outwardly gay superhero/person. Secondly, it would be the family. The TV DC universe family is amazing, especially Melissa Benoist, Grant Gustin, and Stephen Amell. Working in Vancouver is so much fun. I really enjoyed being a part of it all.

EDGE: As a dog lover, I need to know about your three dogs, Chance, Charlie and Ru.

Ruby Rose: I've got three dogs. They are all mutts and they are all adopted. Chance can't walk, but she gets around. Charlie has a broken jaw and his tongue is always sticking out. I did take him to a vet to see if he needed to be fixed. In true Hollywood style, they said it was already healed like that, but we can fix it for cosmetic reasons. I was like, "Have you seen this dog? He is not going to be best in show or even have a chance at winning anything." I also have Ru. They are all beautiful and I love them. I am worried because being in this pandemic for so long, they are all going to have separation anxiety. I am going to have it too. I am sure that theirs is going to be unmanageable.

"The Doorman" is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, Google Play and other streaming services.