Why Ruby Rose Is ‘Glad’ She Didn’t Have Gender Reassignment Surgery

Australian actress Ruby Rose is getting candid with The Edit speaking on gender reassignment surgery, being mistaken for a man and getting bullied growing up.

Rose, who made a name for herself starring in the third season of “Orange Is the New Black,” has not always been the magnetic presence that everyone knows her to be. During her childhood, she struggled to come to terms with her body and gender, saying, "All I wanted was a boy's name growing up — Charlie, Billy, Max, Frankie. You just know my mum wanted a girly-girl princess!… Everyone had Barbies; I had Ninja Turtles and Superman… I was crazy about Archie comics. I played [football] with the boys.”

When she became an adult, Ruby mulled over the idea of undergoing gender reassignment surgery, but she's glad she didn't go through with it. Rose explained, "I'm a woman… I want to have babies one day, so I'm glad I didn't make changes earlier in my life.”

She said of her becoming famous overnight thanks to “Orange Is the New Black," “It's only when I slow down that I realize. I have pinch-me moments, like, 'Is this my life?' Because I've got four films coming out in 2017, and 18 months ago, I hadn't even made one.”

Taking her celebrity status and putting it to use, she feels she can be a role model for those struggling with their sexuality, adding, “I want to be the person I wished was around when I was growing up.”

For her 30th birthday, Vin Diesel threw her a unique party — with ax throwing! “It's like bowling with an ax; you have to hit a target in the wall… It's hard, but me and Vin are so competitive, we got pretty good.”

Going forward in her career, Ruby wants to be able to play a variety of roles. "My biggest challenge is to convince a network or studio head that I can play a Stepford wife… So I have no challenges. I went from being underprivileged to being very privileged.”