‘Walking Dead’ star Ross Marquand (Aaron) talks #Aaric’s backstory and reveals his foolproof apocalypse survival plan

MM: So now that kiss kind of sparked a lot of controversy within the Walking Dead community, and it seems that homophobia is still alive and well, even in the event of the zombie apocalypse. How do you go about dealing with ignorant comments or backlash from unhappy fans on twitter?

RM: I try to do it in much the same way Aaron would- very diplomatically. I think there are so many people who have deep seated religious convictions that they believe very firmly that homosexuality is a sin and is wrong. I would just argue that most of the truly religious people that I know, that have a strong sense of their faith, would not be the ones that you’re seeing on twitter. They are not the ones that are spreading the hateful comments that you’re seeing on twitter, because that is, in my estimation at least, inexcusable. The language that people are using, both for and against… I think sometimes it’s very easy to label people however you want to label them. I think there’s a temptation to do that because it ends the discussion. It’s very easy to wrap people up in a nice little bow and put them in a box and say, “That’s who they are- I don’t want to deal with that type of person.” But, that doesn’t lead to progress, any sort of discourse, or real change in attitude. That can be really detrimental to us as a society. I think if anything, right now, not only as a society, but also as fans of the show, we need to have more patience with each other. Life is really tough already and I don’t think that adding to it by adding more and more hate and more nasty comments is going to solve anything. It’s just going to add more hate and anxiety to an already stress-filled society that we live in. I certainly understand people have differing viewpoints.

MM: Well said! Hopefully you’re getting some positive feedback, as well.

RM: Yeah, absolutely. It’s surprising. It’s been pretty even- both people for and against- and I try to stay out of it for the most part, because I don’t want to stoke the fire. But I think, if people want to have a patient, calm discourse about it within their families or their communities or certainly within their religious faith, I think that’s wonderful. You certainly hope as an actor that your work has a greater social significance on top of being a great challenge as an actor, you hope it kind of has a greater social significance. So if that’s actually what’s happening- if that is, in fact, the discussions that are being had, I’m all for it.

MM: So, I have to know. Do you share your character’s hatred toward applesauce?

RM: Not at all. In fact, I down applesauce by the gallon! I’m like Carl in that one episode where he was eating chocolate pudding on top of the roof. I love it. I love applesauce. And I’m baffled when I hear that people don’t like applesauce, or coconuts, or… I’m like, “really!?” But it must have been such a psychological response for him, targeting back to his time growing up with a mother who was probably very domineering and wanted him to be more manly. It must have clearly left a mark on him, because he just cannot stand the stuff for whatever reason.

MM: Now, this show is huge. It has a built in fan base and they are a passionate bunch, as you’ve seen. Have you felt any added pressure, especially if you were a fan of the show before you got the role, to measure up to this well-deserved hype?

RM: As a fan of the show from the beginning, I knew I was hooked. I didn’t even have to think twice about watching another episode, in fact, I watched the first episode twice, right after each other. It is such a unique show, because I think a lot of people who haven’t seen the show can write it off very simply as “oh, it’s a horror show, it’s a zombie show” and I think that is a very simplistic way of looking at it. It’s a very human drama that deals with so many incredible themes of loss and love and heartache and survival and how you bounce back from a world that is in total and utter ruin. How do you bounce back from that? And so as a fan of the show, and someone who has a great deal of respect for the writing, the acting, for the way it’s shot, for the way it’s directed, I was nervous as hell. I did not know… honestly, at certain points I was psyching myself out because when I got the part I was so elated. I was so excited, and then another tinier voice, which was just as loud, was saying, “You’re not good enough for this. Are you ready for this? Can you actually do this?” and that voice kind of kept going in and out for a while until I arrived on set that first day and met everybody. When you see the graciousness and how nice everyone is and how sweet everyone is and how welcoming they are, you can’t help but let those fears and anxieties just melt away from you. Andy was a big part of that. Andy was the one who insisted on doing rehearsals before that big scene in the barn, and I think without that I would’ve been a lot more nervous than I was. He insisted on doing that, and I think that really helped so much. It showed in that scene, you get a pretty good sense of who Aaron is, even if you don’t trust him. I think the scenes really work well in those barn scenes. I was pleased. I was very nervous watching them last weekend, but I was pleased with how it all came together.

MM: That’s really great that even though you have the top talent on the show, and we know the show is huge across the world, that they still embrace newcomers and want to make everybody feel comfortable and ready to go. That’s awesome to hear.

MM: I love your Celebrities Against Twitter video. What is your go-to impression if you’re at a party or out with friends.

RM: You know, the one the people ask for the most, it alternates, but I think it’s Kevin Spacey. Especially with how popular he’s become again in the last couple of years with House of Cards and what he’s doing, so that’s fun. He has such a great snarky quality that is a lot of fun, especially at parties. (laughs)

MM: Nice! What is your go-to comfort food? Something that you just need once in a while?

RM: Go-to comfort food I’d have to say would be lobster mac and cheese.

MM: Mmmm, that’s a good choice! I approve.

RM: Thank you.

MM: So would you like to attend Comic-con this year, and have you ever been before?

RM: I’ve never been! It’s funny. Every year I try to go. I always have the intention of going since San Diego is just two and a half hours down the road. But every year I try to go, I’ll either have something come up or I’ll book a job. I hope this year I get to go, I really do hope that happens, because I am a nerd, and a total fanboy at heart. So, for me, it’d just be great to go there and experience it, whether I’m sitting on a panel or navigating through the crowd. I would absolutely love to do that.

MM: That’s great. So has anyone on set pranked you? Do you guys have any funny stories?

RM: Well Norman [Reedus] is the biggest prankster on set, you know. He’ll do little things just to kind of throw you off right before you do a take or something, and you know. I remember, we were… I can’t really talk too much about what’s coming up in the next episodes, but we were shooting a scene and he was just trying to get in the heads of myself and the camera department and he did a good job. It was very effective, but ultimately, that type of lightheartedness is what makes the job so fun and what makes everyone bring their best performances. If you’re so tight, and you’re so stressed out, it’s going to be reflected in the work. You’re going to see people who are really stressed out, depressed and dark, because it’s a show that we have some pretty dark stuff. If you don’t have that lightness, it’s going to be reflected in your face and in your expression. I’m grateful for guys like Norman and Steven [Yeun], who always find a way to crack people up on set. And Josh [McDermitt], too. He is hilarious, my god.

MM: Oh wow. That’s awesome. It’s interesting to hear about their personalities outside of the show. To wrap up the interview, do you think you’d survive the zombie apocalypse, and what weapon would you use?

RM: I know I’d survive the zombie apocalypse. And it’s funny because even before the show came out, I was a huge fan of zombies. I’ve always fantasized about it, and I think a lot of fans of the show do. It’s a terribly morbid idea of course, right, to think about society collapsing and turning into a zombie infested realm, but I’ve often times thought about it. I’m from Colorado and my folks have this place up in the mountains and I just have thought it out in such detail. I would go the route of Michonne, more likely, and grab myself a katana or a lead baseball bat- something that doesn’t require fuel or ammunition to power itself. I think having an unlimited weapon that can be used over and over again is the smartest thing to bring. I would go to the Rocky Mountains, and in fact there was an article posted yesterday on my wall, that stated the same thing. The best place statistically to go is in the Rocky Mountains. It has the most dense forest, and it would be extremely difficult, it would take months for the zombies to even reach it, if they would even venture up there. Why would they if they didn’t believe that there were many humans up there? So, I think I would hole up with some Spaghetti O’s, hang out with Abraham, and we’d have our baseball bats and our katana blade and we’d take care of everything; we’d be fine.

MM: That’s awesome. You’ve got it all planned out! Thank you again for taking the time to chat with me!

RM: Fantastic. Thank you, this has been a fun interview.

Watch Ross on The Walking Dead, Sundays at 9.8c on AMC