Ross Marquand as Aaron in ‘The Walking Dead’ (AMC)
(Spoiler alert: This story contains plot details from Sunday’s “The Walking Dead,” but does not contain information from the comics.)
After months of rumors linking him to the show, actor Ross Marquand made his on-screen debut as Aaron in Sunday’s “The Walking Dead.”
Moments after Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) watched the sunrise, newcomer Aaron came out from behind some trees, claiming to be “a friend.” It remains to be seen whether Aaron is truly a friend or “stranger-danger” foe, but alarm bells definitely went off for the characters (and fans) during his entrance. The two women had their guns drawn as Aaron asked to chat with their leader, whose name (Rick) he already knew.
While we wait to see which side Ross’ character falls on, Access Hollywood spoke with the actor (who is currently starring in a run of Danai Gurira’s play, “Familiar,” at Yale Repertory Theatre) to get the back story on the actor joining the show.
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AccessHollywood.com: Is it a relief that you’re finally able to talk about [being on the show]? Because you’ve had to keep this secret for a really long time.
Ross Marquand: Yeah, it’s been tough. I think, on one hand, you of course acknowledge the enormous fan base that this show has. Of course everyone is expecting greatness from the show every episode and it is – it is obnoxious when you learn about a spoiler or you hear about something that could reveal a new character or a new plot line that you were hoping would be a surprise to you. So, I completely get it, and when they made me sign those contracts with the [non-disclosure agreements], I absolutely honored them and signed them with a smile on my face because this really is one of my favorite shows and it has been since the beginning.
Access: Did you get to tell anyone when you got the job?
Ross: No. I mean, my agent and manager knew of course, but other than that I had to remain tight-lipped.
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Access: You said you were a fan of the show. Did you have a favorite character?
Ross: Yeah, Rick for me was always — we’re introduced to his story initially, more than anybody’s. … And it’s become this really amazing ensemble piece, but initially, it was kind of this one-man story of finding his way out of this hospital and reuniting with his family and it was this incredibly beautiful, almost like Odyssean journey to find his family again. And for me, I thought that was just such a beautiful storyline to explore, especially through the veil of an apocalypse, especially the way that this show handles the zombie apocalypse, [which] is so smart. … I remember the first time I watched it was Halloween 2010… and I remember watching it with my friend and we were all super broke, didn’t have money to go to any Halloween parties… so we just got a couple six packs and sat down. … We’d seen the previews and it looked amazing and as soon as we were done watching it, we all looked at each other like, ‘Do you want to watch it again?’ … We just really loved it. It’s so cinematic, and it’s so well shot and so well acted. The direction is fantastic. … It’s a smart piece altogether throughout the entire series itself. And it’s changed in tone from time to time, but at the end of the day… the heart of the story is like, amazing characters, who all want to survive and thrive in this terrible existence.
Access: Do you think there are any clues in what Aaron says [in his opening scene] about whether he’s friend or foe? First of all you say, ‘stranger-danger.’ Funny phrase. Then, ‘I’m a friend.’ And then you say, but ‘I want to talk to the person in charge. Rick. Right?’ And I think – stalker!
Ross: Yeah, I think for the fans to see this really well-dressed guy who looks like he came right out of a Brooks Brothers ad, totally well-coiffed and clean cut, and freshly shaven — for them to see this guy out of nowhere and for him to say, ‘Hey, I know basically everything about your group, and I’d really like to help you,’ I mean, for me, it’s like getting a solicitation. You’re like ‘Oh… Thank you. … No, that’s very sweet of you. Thank you, no. I’m not interested. I’m not interested. Thank you, goodbye. Goodbye.’ It’s that type of vibe where you’re like, ‘Oh, I know why you’re being nice, because you want something from me,’ and I think that’s probably going to register in a lot of fans’ minds of, ‘Why is this person’s here?’ and, ‘How does he track us?’ and ‘How does he know so much about us?’
Access: Are we going to learn more about Aaron soon?
Ross: Yeah, the following episode, you’ll certainly see more of what makes Aaron tick and what is his big motivator and you’ll really get to decide for yourself what his intentions are and I think it’ll be interesting to see.
Access: You do impressions. Did they make you do them [behind the scenes]?
Ross: Yeah. Actually… Alanna Masterson was the first one to discover [it]… she recognized me from some impression videos that I’d done.
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Access: Go Alanna.
Ross: Yeah, it was amazing when she figured it out because I was really trying to be serious-dramatic-actor-guy when I got to set, because I think that my default setting on most of my comedy bits anyway is impressions. So I was like, ‘No, I wanted to focus more on dramatic work and this is great. I’m so excited, I’m [on] one of my favorite shows. This is incredible, it’s a dream come true,’ and then, within probably five days of shooting, Alanna just said, ‘I know you from somewhere.’ … And she figured it out and then after that, Steven [Yeun] and then Lauren [Cohan] and Sonequa [Martin-Green] just would throw out suggestions non-stop. And then of course… everyone was chiming in and throwing out suggestions, and I’m like ‘Oh my goodness, this is crazy!’ … It is rather funny that that was even addressed on set because I always thought that when I got to the set of ‘The Walking Dead,’ it was [going to be a] place where everyone takes their jobs very seriously and it’s going to be not a lot of joking around or anything, and the opposite is true. I think because the subject matter is so dark, and so it can be depressing if you allow it to be depressing, that both the cast and crew acknowledges that there needs to be a certain amount of levity to stay loose and to stay fun and to enjoy that job. … It is the most enjoyable set I’ve ever been on, ironically, which is funny, because I’ve been on so many comedies and you would think that those would be the most enjoyable. But, in all honesty, ‘The Walking Dead’ is the most hilarious and enjoyable set I’ve ever been on.
“The Walking Dead” airs Sundays at 9 PM ET/PT on AMC.
— Jolie Lash
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