Walking Dead and Marvel Actor Ross Marquand Reflects on His Career So Far

Twin Cities Con is a bustling hub of pop culture, attracting fans from all corners of the geek community. I must admit to being a bit intimidated by the numbers of celebrities at the convention when I attended last fall, but the one I was most curious about was Ross Marquand, an actor known for his roles in The Walking Dead and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With the actors’ strike limiting discussions about his current projects at the time, he answered questions about his past work and career journey. Although I had known that Mad Men was his big TV break, I mostly knew him as Aaron on The Walking Dead and his wide range of voice acting, including as the Immortal in Invincible and his amazing impressions of Hugo Weaving (with a German accent) as Red Skull in Avengers: Endgame and James Spader as Ultron in What If…? Starting this month, he’s also voicing Professor X in X-Men ’97 (a character played by Cedric Smith in the original ’90s series).

Ross Marquand at Twin Cities Con 2023. Dave Rand-McKay

Marquand was in great spirits as he took the stage. When asked whether he knew anything about Minnesota, he went straight into a classic regional accent: “Oh, sure, don’tcha know? Oh, you betcha. Oh, ya. Can I get, uh, lefse and some, uh, lutefisk?” He then launched into an improvised monologue about lutefisk, capping it off with “We used to eat it all the time as kids and I hated it. So if you get a chance, lutefisk and lefse. And all the other L words from Sweden.”

Marquand recalled that his first interest in acting came in the form of doing impressions as a kid. “I was like seven. Money was really tight for our family growing up in the ’80s … And my dad made like $12,000 for a family of five, one year,” he said. “And the only thing that could make my parents laugh was Johnny Carson.”

When he went to college, he started out focusing on business but quickly changed gears to get a bachelor of fine arts degree, to his parents’ great displeasure: “They were like, ‘Oh, you’re dropping out of that.’ I’m like, I don’t think I’m gonna do that, actually. And I said, ‘I’m gonna take some extra credits in the summertime.’ I did summer school every year after that, and took a bunch of other jobs. Worked at Walden Books. Was a server, was a bartender, did all sorts of like odd jobs to pay the bills, and I made it a kind of a double major, but mostly theater after that.”

Marquand reprised his role as Red Skull in Marvel’s What If…? after voicing the character in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. © Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

As mentioned, his big break was on Mad Men, where he played Paul Newman on an episode in 2013. “That was the thing that actually got me noticed enough by some of the other cast members, and producers were like, ‘Oh, I guess we can trust him with this,'” he explained. “It was just a one-day shoot, but that helped me get in front of this particular casting office who also does Walking Dead.”

Before his major role on The Walking Dead happened, though, he nearly quit acting. before was particularly moving. Marquand revealed, “I just decided to give up acting a month and a half prior to getting the audition for it. … And I was in like $120,000 of credit card debt and just in a bad way. And I just said, ‘I’m out. I’m out.’ And then it’s just kinda weird how life works out that way.”

He touched on the process of adapting his character, Aaron, from the comics to the screen. “In the comics, he was a lot more funny,” he said. But in the writing process, “They took away a lot of the comedy pretty quickly.”

Reflecting on playing the first openly gay character in the series, he said, “I’ve met a lot of people who’ve said that they were able to have those difficult conversations with their families because they watched it together.” But, he noted, “I do think we’ve grown leaps and bounds since then.”

“You know, when you do theater, you’re up here on the stage and you can have an immediate reaction response from everyone in the audience,” he said. “But in film and TV, you have no idea. You don’t know if your work’s connecting with people at all.”

Ross Marquand as Aaron in The Walking Dead. Jace Downs/AMC

He also shared that he still gets starstruck when meeting his idols. “It was Keith David last night … I tried not to fangirl too hard, but uh, who’s seen The Thing or They Live or Gargoyles? He’s the man, boys and girls. I mean, could not be a cooler dude and super nice, and we just sat next to each other for lunch.”

His advice for an aspiring actor was earnest and practical. “Listen, first of all, congrats on pursuing that. … But don’t take it personal. Never take it personal. Let that stuff just kind of roll off your back. And I would also say, don’t be afraid to do everything.”

He did put one qualifier on that: “everything” doesn’t need to include dangerous stunts. “At the end of the day, it’s a TV show, it’s a film … we’re not, you know, curing cancer, obviously. It’s about safety first.”

Dave Rand-McKay

Marquand’s presence at Twin Cities Con, especially during a time when he was limited in what he could discuss professionally, was a testament to his dedication to his fans. His willingness to engage in personal stories, share his experiences, and connect with attendees on a human level made his appearance memorable and special. He not only entertained but also inspired, leaving an indelible mark on everyone who had the pleasure of interacting with him. His warmth and genuineness, coupled with his remarkable talent, made him a standout guest at the convention, embodying the spirit of what makes these events so extraordinary. I will definitely attend the next con—and who knows? I might see you there.