Where Is Ruby Rose Now? Inside Her Career After Breaking out in 'Orange Is the New Black'

Fans of Orange Is the New Black will undoubtedly remember Ruby Rose. She burst onto the scene in 2008 after winning an MTV Australia VJ contest as a teenager. In the years that followed, she became a familiar face, modeling internationally and juggling DJ residencies and fashion ventures in Melbourne. Her major breakthrough came in 2015 with her role as Stella Carlin on Orange Is the New Black.

Ruby later shared how hard it was to break into acting in the U.S. “I had no opportunities before,” she told AP. “I was finding it really hard to get in the door here. I couldn’t get an agent, I couldn’t get a manager, I couldn’t get an audition. I couldn’t do anything, and your hands are a little bit tied at that point."

And while things have ultimately worked out, Ruby has taken a noticeable step back from the spotlight, leaving fans wondering what she’s up to now.

Ruby’s tenacity paid off. She credits her early gigs as “sidesteps” into acting, telling AP, “I ended up booking MTV … I did all these crazy things … it was almost like they were all sidesteps to get me into the door with acting. I’m definitely where I want to be now, and it feels amazing.”

Ruby has since stepped into live performance. In 2023, she made her stage debut in the Australian production of 2:22 – A Ghost Story. She said, “I’ve done stage work as far as public speaking, hosting, and DJing, but this is very different. … It’s the muscle of acting — you need to train the body and it’s … a great creative outlet. But to be doing that at this level, it’s a lot. It’s thrilling,” per The Guardian.

In 2021, Ruby suffered a serious surgical complication unrelated to Batwoman. She later shared the experience publicly, explaining that the ordeal briefly sent her to the hospital that July, according to E! News.

With her breakout TV role under her belt, Ruby quickly moved into Hollywood action films. She played both heroes and villains in several major franchises. She appeared in the 2018 shark thriller The Meg and portrayed the knife-fighting assassin Ares in John Wick: Chapter 2. In 2016, she co-starred in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, and in 2017, she appeared alongside figure skater Johnny Weir in Dumplin’.

Following her string of action roles, Ruby landed one of her most high-profile jobs as Batwoman/Kate Kane in the Arrowverse. During the first season, she suffered serious stunt injuries, including two herniated discs in her neck that required emergency surgery, according to Business Insider.

In May 2020, Ruby announced she would not return for Season 2. Initially, her exit was attributed to recovery from injury, but she later revealed deeper issues. In interviews, she described toxic on-set conditions and pressure to work too soon after surgery as major reasons for her departure. She publicly accused the show’s producers and Warner Bros. TV of “abusive” behavior and claimed she was nearly forced to return to set just 10 days after spinal surgery.