Ross Marquand of The Walking Dead talks Marvel, TWD and scouting

Ross Marquand of The Walking Dead talks fans weird art and scouting

Ross Marquand is in Auckland for the Armageddon Expo this Labour Weekend.
He was available to chat under SAG-AFTRA restrictions which were adhered to throughout the interview.

DB: Ross Marquand welcome to Auckland, New Zealand. Are you enjoying it so far? 

Ross Marquand: I'm loving it and I'm trying to figure out how I can move here immediately.  

DB: What's taken your eye so far?  

RM: Rotorua was beautiful. Waitomo caves too. I spent all day there yesterday with the glow worms. And then there was another cave that I found about a 5 - 10 minute drive from where the where the main caves are. And I found, like, an alternate tinier one that was like, I think actually in some respects more impressive. I mean, - Hobbiton too - I mean, like everything's just perfect here. I feel like I'm in a video game. That's how that's how clean and perfect this country is. I feel like, I don't know. It's incredible. 

DB: And you're heading down to Queenstown next, so that'll probably blow your mind as well.  

RM: I've heard it's just as, if not more beautiful. 

DB: How has the convention scene been for you? I mean, obviously the screen actors strike and all that stuff is coming up to over 100 days now, is that tough for you personally?  

RM: It's been really tough because, of course, we're not able to work right now. But also on top of that, we're not allowed to talk about projects that we've been working on for the last few years. And, you know, some of the things that I've been working on specifically in the last two years, I'm very, very proud of, and I can't wait to share them with the world. But, you know, we were going to be announcing it in New York Comic-Con, some of these things, and now we have to wait until the strikes over. So, yeah, it's it's a it's a delicate dance you do in this industry. 

DB: It must be it must be hard mentally to know each day that you're watching it unfold through the media, you're watching over social media as well, and the different viewpoints.  

RM: Absolutely. I mean, I know I fully support the strike and I think it's time that we we stood up and did something because we were seeing our residuals and our our, you know, things being just siphoned away and a little bit more and more each each year. We really do have to protect and make sure the people who make these performances and the stories come to life get paid adequately and appropriately.

DB: It's particularly pertinent for you because you're not just an actor in terms of on TV, you do voiceover work as well. There's talk of a video game strike heading this way as well.

RM: Yeah, And I think again, you know, we have video games. That's a multimillion dollar industry, sometimes eclipsing movies, oftentimes the cost of movies depending on the year. So the fact that there's no profit sharing for the actors who are bringing this to life is just frankly absurd. You know, they should absolutely be compensated for that because they're the ones oftentimes in the mocap shoots, you know, bringing these characters to life. So. Yeah. 

DB: In terms of the conventions, I've talked to a few other actors and they've said it's been kind of nice in a way to talk about different facets of life. So do you find it a bit worrying, revealing so much of yourself outside of the acting? 

RM: Oh no, I love it. I mean, because for me it's been great the last couple of months of doing conventions with since the strike because people are digging a little deeper and asking questions that they normally wouldn't ask because they just never thought to. And I've been getting some really creative questions about, you know, what kind of artists I like, what kind of music I like. And it's just it's just fine. It's it's it's taking on a different feel, you know, not so not quite so profession focused. 

 

DB: So what's been the most surprising question? 

RM: Well, someone did ask where I lived and I was not going to reveal that information, but they were they were they were good hearted about it. But I but I was like, I'm not going to tell you that. But that's that's private information.

DB: So you've got to try, though, haven't you? 

RM: Yeah, I suppose so. (laughing)

DB: So my next question is, where do you live? (laughing)

RM: I live in Nashville, Tennessee. That's about all I can tell you. Yeah. Yeah. (laughing)

DB: You're obviously known for a lot of Walking Dead stuff. I have to ask what you make of the spin offs and whether you're likely to feature in some of those. 

RM: Well, I sure hope so. I mean I you know, they kept a lot of us alive at the end of that show. And I think that the reason why is because they wanted to have the option down the road. If they do decide to make other movies or alternate spinoffs to be able to draw from those characters, a lot of us were sort of hoping for like a very Shakespearean bloodbath for the finale..

DB: So many of those finales though threatened that, right? 

RM: Yeah, I mean, even some of the producers were like, 'Let's just have a bloodbath and kill off 90% of the cast.' And I thought that was a great idea. But they really did just want to keep people alive for the sake of these spin offs. So yeah, we'll see what happens. I'm hoping so. I'm hoping. 

I'm not even being remotely coy. I have no idea. I really have no idea what they have planned. And if they called me up and said they've got a good story, I'd certainly consider it. Yeah. 

DB: You've done a lot of these conventions before. What have you made of the Auckland scene and the Auckland Conventions? This is your first time here. 

RM: First time here. And I just got into Auckland late last night. So I couldn't really tell you much. I haven't seen anything other than the hotel and this convention center that I just arrived at. So probably don't have a very clear answer on that just yet. But so far everyone's been wonderful. I love the indoor outdoor aspect of it and it's it's great. Everyone's having a great time. And you can tell when people are having genuine fun versus, you know, going through the motions. And I feel like everyone here seems to be having a really good time.  

DB: You are obviously one actor that's attracted one or two cosplayers in the time - have you enjoyed what you've seen?

RM: Oh yeah. Well, I mean, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I grew up with Star Wars and Marvel. Those were kind of my two biggest fandoms as a kid. So for me, I get to act like a kid every single week. And when I come to these and see people's costumes and their art, the bigger the artwork, oh my God, Every time I go to a convention, I wind up buying way too much stuff and not being able to take home a half good. But I love this stuff, you know.  

DB: Also another thing that a lot of people may not know you for possibly is as your voice, work and impressions. And I understood that came from you doing stuff in your scouting years and and sort of entertaining people?

RM: Yeah Boy Scouts was a big part of that. You know, campfire ceremonies, we're always, you know, we go on a camping trip every month and we would be constantly pushing each other to come up with new skits and and sometimes would do impressions of this Scoutmasters And I loved it. I mean, it was a it was a very rough time as a kid because I got picked on a lot for being in scouting. But I'm really grateful for all the lessons I learned in that camp.  

DB: You're quite high up in the scouting world in terms of what you achieved in your time in the organisation. Did you find that shaped you as a youngster and shaped you in later life perhaps?  

RM: I mean, I think for me there was no choice in the matter. I mean, my my two older brothers became Eagle Scouts and my dad and his brothers were Eagle Scouts. So it was just kind of expected that you're going to do this, too. But I'm glad they pushed me because a lot of the leadership skills and things that I learned during that were very invaluable for later in life. 

DB: Do you think do you think youngsters these days get a lot of pushback and this kind of stuff they don't want to do it as much? 

RM: Yeah, I think it's unfortunate that kids nowadays are grown up way too fast and they're not allowed to be children, you know, to just be innocent in the world. And they're exposed to so much content from social media and the Internet. And I just really wish there was a way to protect children from all that until they're like 16, 17. You know, I just I think there's too much stimulation going on and it's unmitigated. It's not control. So I think I just urge parents to to let their kids be kids for as long as possible, because you'll be an adult for the majority of your life and you'll be wishing you could have been more of a kid. And yeah, you can't get that back, you know? So I just I always think of my cousins and my my godson, who's 13, and I always say, 'You're in such a rush to be an adult. Don't - be a kid for as long as you can.'

DB: You would have been no stranger to social media through your time on The Walking Dead. What's been the best thing about outside the fandom and the appreciation and the love for that franchise? It's been incredible. 

RM: None of us on the show or would have had the career that we've had would have lasted for as long as we did on that show without the interaction with the fans. Let's look at the convention, for example. I mean, we we are only allowed to be on that show for 12 seasons because of the the enormous importance of fans who keep coming month after month of discussions. And there's a real, you know, sense of family that we had with with that show. And I'm always going to be grateful for that interaction, you know, always. 

DB: What kind of stuff do you like to see the conventions? What do you enjoy doing? 

RM: I really love the art. I love going around looking at the art, the merchandise together. I travel with two very small backpacks and I never check my bag, so I can't bring a bunch of stuff back. But I like to buy thin, you know, pieces of like art that I can take back. All mostly abstract. A lot of the stuff here, I just like really interesting crossovers. Like you'll see like Star Wars with Rick and Morty and Aliens with Disney and just weird stuff that you wouldn't normally think of to see. And then you see an artist put it out on their table and you're like, 'Wow, I need that in my house'. You know? That's my  kind of stuff. 

DB: Have you got any artworks of you of your own, of your own characters. What's the weirdest one you've seen?  

RM: Uh, well, not the weirdest, but the most fascinating, I think was a lovely, lovely gentleman in Kansas City who made a Lego portrait for me. And it's half my face, half Red Skull, all Legos. It's amazing. And that's my prized possession. I've got some amazing artwork from friends, but that to me is like every time I see it, I'm like, 'Man, that took an incredible detail and time and ingenuity', you know?  

DB: You mentioned Marvel earlier, and that's one of the things you've been part of. Would you be keen to go back and revisit some of those roles?

RM: Yeah. I mean, there's never going to be a time where I don't want to work with in that universe, because again, it was my childhood when I was nine, ten years old, I started collecting those comics and comic cards and drawing those characters that I later played, which is the most surreal thing in the world, to be able to play something that used to draw and kind of like. You know, dream about as a kid, you know, this would make any sense. I still feel like I'm living some very grand dream right now. 

DB: It's not a bad dream to have that, you know?  You would encourage people to maybe follow their dreams and look to do what they want to do, even though this is rough times with the strike and learn that the benefits outweigh the downside?

RM: There are always going to be tough times;  there's the benefits which will always outweigh the hard times if you go at it hard enough. I always tell younger actors who come to my table, if they if they're really serious about wanting to pursue that, you know, you've got the best time in the world to be putting your work out there. You got social media, got TikTok, you've got all this stuff, you've got ways to get your stuff out there in a way that we just didn't have. And now there's a democratization of content. You know, you don't have to be a big studio to get your stuff out and you can be filming your stuff on your phone in your basement. And as long as it's interesting enough and you as long as you put it out consistently enough, people will take notice. 

Ross Marquand will be at the Auckland Armageddon Expo at the ASB Showgrounds on Saturday through to Monday October 23rd