Ruby Rose As Jewish Lesbian in Batwoman Is Latest Hollywood Casting Controversy

Model and actress Ruby Rose has drawn criticism for her casting as the lead in The CW's upcoming standalone DC Comics series, Batwoman. She, as a result, deleted her Twitter account and deactivated comments from her Instagram posts.

Katherine Kane/Batwoman was written to be a lesbian of Jewish descent. Critics of the gender-fluid Orange Is the New Black alum argue she's neither Jewish nor gay enough to tackle the part.

Rose, 32, is from Australia. She's of English, Scottish, German and Irish descent. The Meg star has openly shared she identifies as a lesbian.

Rose responded on Twitter.

"Where on earth did 'Ruby is not a lesbian, therefore, she can't be Batwoman' come from—has to be the funniest most ridiculous thing I've ever read," Rose reportedly tweeted before deleting her account, according to Deadline. "I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with 'she's too gay' how do y'all flip it like that? I didn't change. I wish we would all support each other and our journeys."

Rose isn't the first celebrity to cultivate backlash over their casting. In light of Rose's incident, here's a list of five other celebrities who sparked controversy over casting issues.

Scarlett Johansson

In 2017, Johansson had been accused of participating in racism and whitewashing upon starring in Ghost in the Shell—a character that was written as Asian in its original Japanese manga. Johansson, however, pulled out of Rub and Tug after drawing criticism upon being cast to play a transgender man. "Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance," Johansson told Out Magazine in July. "I've learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive."

Jack Whitehall

Whitehall confirmed he was cast to play the first-ever openly gay character in Disney's Jungle Cruise on Friday. While the English comedian expressed his excitement to embark upon the "epic adventure," many took to Twitter to speak out against his involvement since he identifies as heterosexual.

Ben Affleck

Affleck's Argo won three Academy Awards in 2013, including Best Picture. Before this, the Justice League actor—who directed the flick—was accused of whitewashing. Affleck had cast himself in the role of Tony Mendez. The character, in fact, is based on an American man of Mexican descent. Despite backlash following the casting decision, Mendez didn't take issue with Affleck playing him. Mendez, however, told NBC Latino in 2013 he "never heard of" whether a Hispanic actor was considered for the part.

Johnny Depp

Depp has been subjected to criticism for his casting in roles before, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Depp, however, received a hefty amount of negative feedback for his part in Disney's The Lone Ranger. Depp was cast as Tonto, who is a Native American character. Many who criticized the film cited its stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans as problematic.

Emma Stone

Before winning an Academy Award for her efforts in La La Land, Stone encountered a wave of backlash in 2015 for her role in the critically panned box office bomb, Aloha. Stone's character, Allison Ng, had a mother of Swedish descent. The character's father, however, was also of half-Chinese and half-Native Hawaiian descent. Director Cameron Crowe wrote via his blog a "heartfelt apology to all who felt this was an odd or misguided casting choice." Stone, in turn, told an Australian news website she's "learned on a macro level about the insane history of whitewashing in Hollywood and how prevalent the problem truly is."