Ruby Rose was already famous when she moved to the United States six years ago.
But we didnt know it.
She was a VJ on MTV Australia.
Jason Kim. Wardrobe Styling by Sean Knight. Makeup by Lottie using Dior Beauty at Lowe & Co. Hair by Mark Townsend at Starworks. Manicure by Emi Kudo for Opus Beauty. On Ruby: Jacket by Balenciaga. Sports bra by Nike. Shorts by 3.1 Phillip Lim. Necklace by Eddie Borgo.
She was a prominent DJ and a clothing designer.
She guest-judgedAustralias Next Top Model.
Shes emerged as an LGBTQ icon whotweetsfrequently about equal rights issues to more than 1.3 million followers.
Jason Kim. Wardrobe Styling by Sean Knight. Makeup by Lottie using Dior Beauty at Lowe & Co. Hair by Mark Townsend at Starworks. Manicure by Emi Kudo for Opus Beauty. On Ruby: Coat by Elizabeth & James. Jacket by Pam & Gela. Sports Bra, sweatpants and sneakers by Nike.
Next year shell appear alongside Jason Statham in the summer thrillerThe Meg.
As a 20-year-old acting student in 2007, Rose wasnt supposed to nail her audition at MTV Australia.
She only went as a class assignment.
Jason Kim. Wardrobe Styling by Sean Knight. Makeup by Lottie using Dior Beauty at Lowe & Co. Hair by Mark Townsend at Starworks. On Ruby: Jacket by Balenciaga. Sports bra by Nike. Shorts by 3.1 Phillip Lim. Necklace by Eddie Borgo
She’d never watched the channelshe didn’t even have cable.
Then something unexpected happened: She got the job.
It put her in a predicament.
Jason Kim. Wardrobe Styling by Sean Knight. Makeup by Lottie using Dior Beauty at Lowe & Co. Hair by Mark Townsend at Starworks. Manicure by Emi Kudo for Opus Beauty. On Ruby: Coat by Burberry. Sweatshirt by Nike.
Spoiler alert: She took it.
It was a fitting test.
She contracted SIBO, a bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, and got mercury poisoning.
She knew she had to take control.
And everything changed when Iquit drinking, she says.
She won her firstand lastamateur fight at 25.
Healthy, strong, and forging her own better path, Rose set out to redefine herself professionally.
“But I met with all the agents.
I met with everybody and they all passed.
And I really, really didnt want to do that.
You become a brand.
I didn’t want to become a brand.
I wanted to become an actor.
With no parts to play, she made her own.
The film is loosely inspired by Roses own struggle to figure out her gender identity.
Today she identifies as gender fluid.
Two months later, the Amazon TV seriesTransparentwould weave transitioning into a family dramedy.
And despite the viral success of her video, she was still an unknown in the States.
I think people probably don’t know how hard she’s worked to get to where she is.
She says she eschews some intense cardio workouts for fear of dropping weight too fast.
(Wintour is the artistic director at Conde Nast, SELF’s parent company.)
Shes got a point.
One thing she tries not to show is the one vice she cant seem to kick: smoking.
(Shes been reading Allen CarrsEasy Way to Stop Smokingin her latestattempt to quit.)
Whether she asked for it or not, she feels a duty to set an example for her fans.
And the power of influence swings both ways.
If anything, I thank them more because they keep me in line, she says.
And that’s why the smoking thing really shits me.
Watch: Ruby Rose Answers Questions From Her Biggest Twitter Fans
