News Of The Walking Dead's Ending Hit Ross Marquand Hard
The AMC zombie apocalypse drama "The Walking Dead" came to an end in 2022, marking 11 seasons in total. The show, which was adapted from a series of comic books of the same name, has led to a number of spin-offs, some featuring characters the audience is familiar with and some featuring brand-new faces.
One of the characters who's become a staple of "The Walking Dead" is Aaron (Ross Marquand), who first appears in Season 5, when he intercepts the core group of survivors and introduces them to Alexandria, which becomes their home base. Aaron, and Marquand, quickly became an integral part of the show, surviving all the way through the series finale, "Rest in Peace," losing an arm but gaining a daughter in the process.
Marquand spoke about learning that Season 11 would be the last one for "The Walking Dead" and how that news affected him. Here's what he had to say.
Marquand's initial shock ultimately led to excitement for the final season
In an interview with Insider, Ross Marquand was asked about his first reaction to learning that "The Walking Dead" was ending. Marquand said he was in Austria at the time, in a town called Hallstatt. "It was the most insane juxtaposition because it was one of the most picture[-]perfect sites I've ever seen in my life," he recalled. At the time, he had been under the impression that the show would be continuing since he had been involved in discussions of where it would go in Season 12 — and even further than that.
But then he got a call from showrunners Angela Kang and Scott Gimple, who delivered the news that Season 11 would be the last one for "The Walking Dead." Marquand went through a range of emotions, including shock and sorrow. As he learned more about the final season, however, his sadness ultimately turned into excitement. He was particularly glad to hear about the additional eight episodes the final season would have, although he later feared for his life while filming the Season 11, Part 2 premiere.
Marquand thinks no show will ever be as popular as The Walking Dead
In a December 2022 interview on "The Project," Ross Marquand was asked how he feels now that "The Walking Dead" has ended. In response, Marquand said, "It's weird because I mean, it was eight years of my life. I mean, [that's] basically a quarter of my life," admitting that he was a fan before being cast as well.
Marquand also speculated that the popularity of "The Walking Dead" may not be replicated in the future, noting that the television landscape has changed from when the show premiered and that the increase in streaming viewership habits means that ratings no longer reflect how many people are truly watching a show. In addition, due to people watching the same show at different times, the potential for fervent week-to-week conversations, which fans of "The Walking Dead" often engaged in, has also dwindled.
"I was a part of something really amazing and beautiful, and I'm really sad it's over," Marquand concluded.