Multi-talented actress Ruby Rose began her professional career as a model. Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the Australian actress has also had a successful career as a television presenter, DJ, and fashion designer. She transitioned to screen as a VJ on MTV Australia from 2007 to 2011.
Although she has starred in a few other genres, Ruby Rose is known for playing action characters. Over the years, her short hair and tattooed arms have become a trademark. With an acting career spanning less than two decades, Rose has worked with and co-starred alongside several Hollywood filmmakers and top stars. Focusing on her acting career, here’s a look at Ruby Rose’s journey through her most notable roles.
Orange Is the New Black
The Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black was Ruby Rose’s acting television debut. She had spent the previous eight years appearing as herself in different TV shows. Rose joined the Orange Is the New Black cast as Stella Carlin in season 3. She’s introduced as an inmate at Litchfield Penitentiary. Stella was portrayed with a confident, flirty personality. She quickly became a romantic interest for Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling). At some point, Stella’s rebellious nature and charm made her a fan favorite. However, her story takes a darker turn when she crosses Piper, leading to significant consequences for her character.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Orange Is the New Black was a major push for Ruby Rose’s career. Although she made her film debut in 2013 with Around the Block, her first major film project was the 2016 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. In the movie, being the sixth and final installment in the Resident Evil film series, Rose joined the cast as Abigail. Her character is one of the Arcadia attack survivors that Alice (Milla Jovovich) meets when she arrives at Raccoon City.
Abigail is portrayed as a tough and skilled fighter, joining Alice in an effort to overthrow the evil Umbrella Corporation. Although Rose’s role is relatively minor compared to Milla Jovovich, Ruby Rose’s character adds to the team’s dynamic and the film’s action-packed sequences. Although a significant ally, Rose’s Abigail loses her life in one of the traps set in the Hive. The Final Chapter was a commercial success, grossing $312.2 million against its $40 million production budget. The movie’s success was a critical milestone, boost, and exposure for Ruby Rose’s career.
XXX: Return of Xander Cage
With a rising profile as an action star, Ruby Rose joined the third installment in the XXX film series, Return of Xander Cage. She joined the cast as Adele Wolff, a tough, highly skilled member of Xander Cage’s (Vin Diesel) team. Adele is a sharpshooter and a combat expert known for her confident and no-nonsense attitude. Her character is part of the team chosen by Xander and helps in his mission to retrieve the stolen Pandora’s Box. The device is designed to control satellites and crash them at specific locations. The Return of Xander Cage quickly became Ruby Rose’s highest-grossing film, with Box Office earnings of $346.1 million.
John Wick: Chapter 2
The 2017 Chad Stahelski sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, was the first time Ruby Rose was playing an antagonistic role on the big screen. Rose was cast as Ares, a mute assassin who works for the film’s main antagonist, Italian crime lord Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio). Rose’s Ares was known for her calm demeanor, deadly combat skills, and for communicating using sign language.
Ares plays a key role as one of the primary enforcers sent after John Wick (Keanu Reeves). Her screen time ends with her death in a final fight with John Wick. Although it didn’t earn as much as Return of Xander Cage, the 2017 John Wick 2 was also a Box Office success, grossing $174.3 million against its estimated $40 million budget.
Pitch Perfect 3
Ruby Rose finished 2017 by joining another popular and successful film series. She was cast as Calamity, a member of the Evermoist, a rival singing band. As Evermoist’s lead singer, Calamity competes against the Bella’s in the movie’s storyline. Again, she plays a tough character with an edgy appearance.
The movie saw the return of Bella band alumni, with cast members Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hana Mae Lee, and Alexis Knapp reprising their roles. Ruby Rose’s performance showed she had no intention of being typecast as an action actor in Hollywood. Although Pitch Perfect 3 didn’t outgross its predecessor, it was still a Box Office success, grossing $185.4 million against its $45 million production budget.
The Meg
Ruby Rose stayed busy with her acting career, adding the 2018 science fiction action film The Meg to her growing film credit. Rose was cast as Jaxx Herd, a skilled engineer and part of the underwater research team. Her character worked alongside the film’s protagonist, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), as they attempted to survive and combat the giant prehistoric shark, the Megalodon. The Jon Turteltaub-directed The Meg became Ruby Rose’s highest-grossing film. While the critics weren’t too impressed with the film, The Meg was a commercial success. Produced on a $130–178 million budget, it grossed $529.2 million at the Box Office.
Ruby Rose as Kate Kane/Batwoman
After Orange Is the New Black, Ruby Rose’s biggest television role was portraying the iconic DC Comics superhero Kate Kane/Batwoman. Ruby Rose first portrayed the comic’s character in an episode of Flash. Rose solidified her place in The CW’s Arrowverse franchise by reprising the role in a few episodes of Arrow and Supergirl. As a growing fan favorite, the superhero character was given her show, Batwoman, in 2019.
In Ruby Rose’s version as Kate Kane/Batwoman, Kate Jane is Bruce Wayne/Batman’s cousin. She becomes Gotham City’s protector in Batman’s absence. Thanks to her portrayal, Batwoman became a prominent figure in the Arrowverse. Rose portrayed the character from 2019 to 2020 and also in an episode of Legends of Tomorrow. Ruby Rose’s portrayal of Batwoman made her the first LGBTQ+ actress to be cast in a lead role in a superhero series.
SAS: Red Notice
By the start of the 2020s, Ruby Rose was already a recognizable and established actress in Hollywood. Although she starred in several critically panned films, she slowly moved from being a character actor to playing the lead. In 2020, Rose led the cast of the action thriller The Doorman. The following year, she played Grace Lewis in another action thriller, SAS: Red Notice. In the film, Rose starred alongside Andy Serkis, Tom Hopper, and Hannah John-Kamen.
Rose plays the secondary antagonist, a highly skilled and lethal mercenary working for Black Swans, her family-owned private military company. The character’s highlight is coming face-to-face with the protagonist, Tom Buckingham (Sam Heughan), in a fight. SAS: Red Notice generally received mixed reviews from critics. Since then, Ruby Rose has starred in several other low-budget films that didn’t do critically well, including Vanquish (2021), Stowaway (2022), The Collective (2023), and Dirty Angels (2024). If you enjoyed reading about Ruby Rose’s notable roles, check out Zazie Beetz’s top roles.
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