Bevin Bru Dishes On Batwoman - Exclusive Interview

You can't ever take your eyes off Bevin Bru's Batwoman character, Angelique Martin, whether she's causing mischief or pulling through for Gotham City at the last second. It just so happens that the Cuban American actor bringing Ryan Wilder's ex-lover to life is equally as enthralling as her character, and she spoke with vivaciousness and an infectious energy in an exclusive interview with Nicki Swift. Speaking via Zoom in Vancouver, where The CW hit show is filming its currently airing second season, she was as animated and joyful as her high energy dance videos. 

Between the odd jobs that led to Bru's television debut, her hilarious first ever stunt experience, and the power of a Black bad*ss lesbian Batwoman, Bru seemed to have a story for everything. And as the burgeoning actor — and new "baby tweet" — explained to us, her time in Hollywood is just getting started and she's eager for everything on the way. 

How are you doing? How are you holding up during the pandemic?

Well, I'm doing pretty great, all things considered. I'm here in Vancouver [where Batwoman films]. It's a gorgeous, sunny day, and I can't really complain too much. So doing all right.

With all the pandemic going on, what has it been like filming the latest season of Batwoman working with all these COVID-19 protocols?

It's been different. It's definitely been different. We have to wear masks all the time. The only time you can take your mask off is if someone is literally doing your makeup, or fixing your hair, or you're actually filming. So when you're rehearsing a scene, which in TV, that is your rehearsal. It's not like theater where you get months. It's like, "Cool. Block it. Run it two times. Film it." You're rehearsing with the mask, so you're basically like, "I didn't even know that you wouldn't ..." And then, when you're filming, you see their mouths, and you're like, "Oh man, feels a little different." So it's a wild experience, but it's been great, all things aside.

Oh my gosh, yes. That whole layer of the chin and the mouth.

"Oh, that's what your mouth is going to do during the scene? Okay. Well, I have to rethink all my motivations as a character. Going back to the drawing board now." Yeah, basically.

So you play Angelique Martin, Batwoman's kind-of rough around the edges ex-girlfriend with a lot going on. She's kind of scrappy and very good on her feet. Did you relate to her approach to life?

Yes. 100%. Angelique and I share many of the same traits and characteristics and outlooks. Yeah, she's super scrappy. She's resourceful. She has the best intentions... and then, sometimes, the execution is you're like, "Really, Angie? Did we think that through?" So I've definitely been known to be like, "I have a good idea, guys. Let's go." "Bevin." "No, let's go. This is it. It's going to be perfect." And then, it all blows up, and I'm like, "On second thought. Yeah. Maybe we should have rethought that we'll approach, but YOLO." Definitely have that in common.

This is your first season of the show, as well as Javicia Leslie's. What was it like going into Batwoman Season 2 knowing you were kicking it off with a fresh start?

Honestly, I think it was awesome because the story we're telling now, I think, is so powerful. It is so relevant. It is so current. We're hitting on all the topics that are literally happening around us in society, so it's mirroring, very much so, society. I think it's so relatable on that level. I mean we've got a gorgeous, talented, Black, Batwoman. She's a lesbian, like, "What?" We're just checking so many bad*ss boxes. And then getting to be a part of her storyline, getting to be a part of her background, of developing that character, it's an honor. When I tell you, it's been so much fun. COVID be d*mned. It has just been amazing, truly.

I know the queer community is very near and dear to your heart, and I love that they kept Batwoman as a lesbian character.

Hell yeah.

Do you feel that? I think The CW's done it before Marvel, like one of the first queer superhero projects out there.

Hell yeah. I think it is so overdue, so awesome, so exciting. And I feel like it's so sexy. It's so raw. It's just like, "Ah, finally," you know? Obviously, I grew up with two moms, so to me it's like, "Duh. If a girl is going to be a superhero like that, that's how it's going to look. That's how it's going to go." And again, to be a part of it, incredible. Incredible.

Season 2 hasn't finished airing yet, but a third season has been confirmed. Is there anything — aside from spoilers, and the finale, and the cliffhangers — that you're personally hoping for Angelique to get into next time around?

My friend, my friend, you have no idea what is about to happen in this season. Every episode, I read it, and I'm like, "Oh sh*t. Oh my god, what?" And we're only on episode six [at the time of this interview], so we're just at the tip of the iceberg about all the ish that's about to go down. I'm really excited for season three. I can't say why because it would just ... but let me just say, I'm so curious. So curious to see what the storyline's going to be with her focus. I'll say that. I think I can say that.

Okay, that's a bit of a breadcrumb for us to go off of.

You mopping what I'm spilling? All right. All right.

You pursued wrestling for a while, you taught fitness, did that prepare you at all to take on a role in an action-heavy show like Batwoman?

Absolutely. My first day on set was the stunt scene that I had in episode four out the gate. And I got to actually rehearse with the stunt team prior to filming that, and they ran us through this. It was no joke, honey. Boxing class, I fight it out for like half an hour, running, high knees. And then we learn the stunt. By the time we came to the stunt, and I was like, "Whew. All right. So I'm going over to that couch. Okay, yeah, that was great. Let's do it." So definitely being a very fit person, it made me able to do it and do it well.

And I look forward to stunts anytime. Even the littlest thing, like, "Throw a mug across the living room." I'm like, "All right. Let's go. I'm going to warm up, I'm going to get this mug. Where's that breakaway glass?" I get so hype for it because I love that aspect of the superhero show, fighting, the physicality. I work out every day. I'm a very high energy person, so being able to put that energy into movement and action is awesome.

I imagine you have to block basically everything so it stays safe. Has that been weird, having to approach it from a much more by the books, professional sense?

100% because like Angelique, I'm scrappy and ... oh my God, here's a funny story. Obviously, I've never done stunts before. And it was my first day on set doing a stunt. And we have some doubles, and so sometimes it'll be like, I will do it with [Meagan Tandy's] stunt double, for example, because she's going to be the one who is going to be thrown or something. And it was like, "All right, Bevin, we're bringing you in." And I was like, "All right." I was so hype. And normally, when a director calls "Action," you go. That's just, as an actor, what you're used to. So [director Menhaj Huda] was like, "Action." And I grabbed [stunt double Rochelle Okoye], and I threw her. I did the whole thing. And when they said "Cut," they're like, "Bev, Bev, Bev, Bev. Wait, wait, wait, wait."

So there's the director action, then the stunt team has to give the okay that they're ready, and then you get the stunt action. And I was just like, "Oops. Oh. Okay, I get it now." Luckily Rochelle is the pro of all pros, so she was ready to go. I was like, "Action." "Cut. Cut." And they were like, "Bevin. Bevin. Bevin." I was like, "Oh. Sorry, guys." Yeah, everything is super choreographed down to where they have their hand on your neck. Everything is super specific, so we were safe. [Stuntman Marshall Virtue's] amazing. He's the head of stunts on the show. That guy, that whole stunt team just kills it.

So you put in a lot of hard work on your journey to the screen. I know you've had to pick up some odd jobs here and there to get to where you're at. What's the weirdest gig you've had to do?

Oh man. Okay. I think the one that low-key traumatized my spirit a little bit was being a birthday clown for a year.

Oh wow.

Oh yeah. We did the gambit. We did face paint. We had the live bunny that we would do the magic with, the magic show. It could be a sitcom. One day I want to write that experience, just the kind of parties we did, the things that we had to do that our boss would put us through because he was insane. It was just dressing up as a princess, being in the car and listening to music that's like, "Eff this, eff that." And you're putting on the wig, and you're like, "Oh my God. I got to go to the party, d*mmit". And you show up like, "Hey guys. Hello. We're so excited for Carly's birthday." It was just odd.

It's definitely a split between like, "Okay, I'm an actor. This is it. Like I'm getting into character," and also like, "Oh my gosh, I'm also kind of a babysitter in this moment now."

And it was in New York, man. So we were driving all over New York, Long Island, Jersey. You're there with the minivan just full of giant costumes. It was wild.

I would definitely love to see the show, so you'll have to write that. So I also saw you're new to Twitter, is that right?

Yes. I'm a baby tweet.

How did that come along? Any interesting interactions yet? It's a wild world.

Yeah. I'm so new to it. I have actually never used Twitter before. Every time that I would see a news article being like, "It's a Twitter thing." I would click it, and it'd be like, "Login to your Twitter." And I was like, "This is way too much work. I'm overwhelmed." X out. I'll figure out what happened later. But the cast are always live tweeting and all the things with Twitter. And I was like, "Bevin, you're a grown-*ss woman. It's time you get a Twitter." So I got it maybe a month ago, and I have like, I don't even know, 80 followers. A little, baby tweeter.

I know you're a big fan of music and dancing. I can't wait to get to the clubs, listen to some Dua Lipa myself. But who's been your favorite quarantine dance party artist or the music getting you through it?

Okay. I'm a very "right now" person. Right now, if I hear Boney M., I am breaking my back. I was walking on the bridge the other day, just like discoing up that whole bridge, just living. So right now, if I hear some Boney M., I'm going to get ratchet. Definitely, that's where I'm at. 

So you talked a bit about just how cool this show is that we have a Black lesbian Batwoman, and I think we've started to see a little bit of a shift in diversity in Hollywood. Do you think there's still room as far as representation, especially as far as action shows and films go?

As long as there are human beings on this planet, there's going to be a need for more stories so that everyone can get their ticket. I was thinking about it the other day. I just wish it was easier for ... Because it's not here to say, "No more anything about white people, like white people are canceled." It's not about that. Keep making your show. Do your thing. I just wish it was easier for networks to green light a show written by a Hispanic person, starring a full Latino cast, directed by Latinos, and telling the Latino story just as easily as it can green-light something like ... I don't know, I'm going to say The Office, or whatever. Just so they had the same opportunity to get the same budget, to make that same awesome content, and to reach the same market. That's where I think once we're doing that, where everyone gets a chance to really tell their stories from their perspectives honestly, then I'll think, "Okay. Diversity is finally ... tick. We did it."

So you're filming Batwoman right now. Season 3 has been confirmed. Are there any other projects you're working on?

At the moment I'm kind of focusing on writing a little bit. I definitely want to start ... I have a couple of shorts floating in my head that I'm like, "Bevin, girl. Pomodoro method. You got to get on this. Let's get it done." So for the next probably two months, I'm just going to really focus on writing. And I'm always auditioning. This is my first time on a TV show, so it's been so amazing and I'm just excited for what's to come from this. I've met so many incredible people and directors, and I'm in awe, obviously. I'm still like, "Ah." It's just been so awesome.

And to have your first TV show be on The CW where they have such a passionate fan base.

The fans. They are so amazing. Shout out to [them.] The fans really are what make any show. Because the show could be brilliant, best actors, best writing. But if we don't connect, like there's no fan base [we get] one season, maybe two, do you know what I mean? Shout out to the fans because they're always making these cool videos and they screen grab and fight for the characters. They'll defend the character or whatever. You feel like they're a part of you, a part of that character's experience. Shout out to all the Batwoman fans out there in Brazil, in Spain, in Russia. All over the globe. I love you, Angelique loves you.

I know I saw somebody was like, "Is it Batgelina? Or is it Rylique?" Like the different couple names.

Yeah, I think we went with Rylique. I think that's the one they shipped it.

It's got a better ring for it, for sure.

There was one that was like, Batgelique. Meagan kept being like, "That's Vadgelique. That's Vadgelique." And I was like, "It's spelled B-A-T, Meagan." She was like, "I don't know. I don't know, girl."

I know. It's like you write it one way, and then you read it the other way, you're like, "Okay. No, no. That sounds wrong."

[Laughs] Yeah. It's like my eyes are, Freudian slip or something. I don't know what that was.

Anything fans should be looking out for during the rest of season 2 that is still to come?

I'm just saying don't miss a single episode. Every episode is packing in so much. They're weaving so much into this season, and all I can say is, "Wait. Just you wait for that second half. It's about to get crazy." If us, as cast members, who basically know everything that's going to happen are like, "Oh my ... what?" Keep track of who's where, popping up how. That's all I'm going to say.

Batwoman airs on Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.