Javicia Leslie is all set to be the first black Batwoman

KARACHI: Javicia Leslie of Family Business and God Friended Me recently replaced Ruby Rose for the second season of Batwoman. It is a significant development as the actress will be the first black Batwoman and she realizes what it means. At a time when the Black Lives Matter movement is so powerful and inclusivity is an important issue, this is huge. “This really had nothing to do with me and everything to do with my people and with little Black girls,” she noted in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

The opportunity came her way while she was occupied with Zoom auditions during the lockdown. Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries revealed that Jovicia Leslie was the obvious choice from her first audition for Batwoman: “Javicia blew everyone else away.” However, Leslie is most excited to add her own approach to the character. “There are not many actors that get this opportunity to play in a world that you can continue to develop and expand on for a decade,” the actress maintained. “This is a great beginning to what I’m sure will be a very long journey.”

Speaking of the physicality required to play Batwoman, Javicia Leslie is keen on achieving that already. “I’m very active in my personal life,” she shared. “So being able to allow that to be my work, that’s heaven for me. I do Muay Thai. I do fitness training. I run. Anything that’s active I’m always down for, so this is going to be like playing on the playground every day.”

The shoot for the second season is yet to commence. However, Javicia Leslie has not even been able to see the new Batwoman costume yet. Currently, the actress is making the most of her time at home in L.A. “I’ve just been taking this little bit of time we have left, exercising, getting back in shape, getting my adrenaline and my momentum back up, enjoying time with family and friends while I can before work starts. It’s been a good season, a season of rebuilding and reconnecting with  myself,” she concluded.