Almost a year on from the announcement that Ruby Rose was leaving the show, the character Kate Kane made her return to Batwoman in this past Sunday’s episode ‘Initiate Self-Destruct’ – albeit with a face-lift, as Krypton actress Wallis Day made her debut in The CW’s Arrowverse series.
Speaking to CBR and Entertainment Weekly following the broadcast of the episode, Day explained how her casting in the DC series came about, and how she plans to make the part her own.
“So I actually went out for it last year, when they announced the departure of Ruby,” said Day. “But a few weeks into the process, they said that they were heading in a different direction. But [showrunner] Caroline Dries wrote me an email letter and just said, ‘Listen, we’re going in a different direction, but if we do end up bringing Kate back, I’ll give you a call.’ And I was just like, [sighs] ‘Yeah, right, everyone always says this to the actors!’ But to be honest, I was really upset about it, because it just felt like such a right move. You never really get excited, because you kind of get used to rejection as an actor, but it just gnawed at me. In January, Caroline called, and I was like, ‘Yes, I do still want to play Kate! Let’s do it!’ And here we are.”
“I spoke in-depth with Caroline [Dries, showrunner] about what she wanted, and I watched all of season 1, and then they sent me all the episodes that they had filmed for season 2,” Day explained with regards to her prep for the role. I asked for the [season 1] scripts as well, because Caroline didn’t want me to try and emulate what Ruby had with Kate. She wanted me to make Kate my own and portray her how I felt a Kate would or should be portrayed. So I wanted the scripts because I wanted to see what the writing gave instead of just the actress’ version of Kate. And that was actually so telling because it gave me so much more insight in-depth into who Kate is as a person. I watched both seasons and read pretty much all the scripts.”
Are you looking forward to seeing more of Wallis Day’s Kate Kane? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
In season two of BATWOMAN, when Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) first discovers Kate Kane’s Batsuit, she has no idea how drastically her life is about to change. A sassy, smart lesbian with a difficult past, Ryan sees the suit as her chance to finally be powerful and no longer a victim as she survives in the tough streets of the city.
While Ryan goes rogue in the shadows, Gotham grapples with their missing hero, believing Batwoman has fled the city after a public stand-off with Commander Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott) and the Crows. But Kate Kane’s disappearance hits hardest at home where Jacob, Sophie (Meagan Tandy), Luke (Camrus Johnson), Mary (Nicole Kang) and even Alice (Rachel Skarsten) each struggle with the devastating news in their own way. Meanwhile, the False Face Society tightens its grip on Gotham, distributing a perilous new drug known as Snakebite, “Bruce Wayne” (Warren Christie) finds his way home to wreak havoc, Safiyah (Shivaani Ghai) surfaces with plans for revenge, and a new set of villains descends on the city.
It’s not long before Ryan realizes how much the symbol on the suit means to Gotham, launching her on a personal journey that takes her from fledgling substitute to confident caped crusader, from living in her van with her plant to chasing villains in the Batmobile. Ryan Wilder becomes a very different Batwoman than Kate Kane – her own Batwoman – but with the same understanding of what it means to be a hero.
The second season of Batwoman stars Javicia Leslie (God Friended Me), Shivani Ghai (Dominion), Leah Gibson (Jessica Jones), Nathan Owens (Devious Maids), Alex Morf (Gotham) and Wallis Day (Krypton), while Rachel Skarsten (Alice), Camrus Johnson (Luke Fox), Meagan Tandy (Sophie Moore) and Nicole Kang (Mary Hamilton) reprise their roles from season one.
