Amongst the chaos of the 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Ruby Rose opens up about her mental health issues, the story behind one of her most visible tattoos… and her then sponsor Maybelline’s reaction to it. Ruby has since moved to the States where she has had a stellar year starring in the hit TV show Orange Is The New Black. Here we share her exclusive interview with The Carousel, filmed prior to her move to America.
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Nedahl Stelio: Can you show us all your tattoos?
Ruby Rose: I can’t show you all of them! Is this a 90-minute show? But I can… Wait I can’t because I have a microphone attached to my jacket.
Nedahl Stelio: Damn it. So how many tattoos do you have?
Ruby Rose: I can show you arm by arm. I’ve got Gumby, who I recently got touched up. My dog, Daisy, very important. I have “Maybe she’s born with it”.
Nedahl Stelio: So that’s a Maybelline reference, we’re here for Maybelline today.
Ruby Rose: It is! Well done.
NS: Why did you get that tattoo?
Ruby Rose: You know what. They paid me a lot of money – just kidding. They actually had no idea that I did it, and I sent it to Georgia, one of the bosses, and she was like “You didn’t?” And I was like “Yup”. I did it because they’ve always stood behind me, and they’ve always, you know, when you’re at the peak of your career, or peak of anything, there’s always going to be people around. Then when you go through tough times, people dissipate. Maybelline never did. With my depression, when I went into rehab and took time off work and they were like “No, we want you to be healthy, you’re a human being”, and that’s actually a big thing for a brand to do, surprisingly.
Nedahl Stelio: That is quite big, because often they do just let you go.
Ruby Rose: Of course, because it could be a bad reflection of their brand. It’s a risk, and also I’m not delusional. I’m completely aware that as much as I think I’m great, I’m completely replaceable. You know, they could have very easily gone, “Yep, that’s too much drama, let’s get Rachel Taylor.” That’s what I would have done, she’s beautiful. But you know, so I really just wanted to remind myself that a brand like Maybelline – an internationally known brand, stands by me when I don’t believe in myself.
Nedahl Stelio: Yeah, that’s fantastic.
Ruby Rose: It’s just a little something.
Nedahl Stelio: How many tattoos do you actually have? Have you counted?
Ruby Rose: I have counted. Last time I counted was like 45 or something. But they connect. See originally, I just had the Astro Boy, so he was one. But then I’ve got Leonardo, and the cat, and now that’s like one tattoo. So they go up and down, and eventually I’ll be able to say, just one tattoo because it will all be connected!
Do you have a story to tell about your tattoos? Share it with us below…
