Exclusive Interview: Elliott Ross Talks The Quest, His Character’s Journey, and More

Actor-writer Elliott Ross is one of the breakout stars of 2022. The multitalented creative is quickly making a name for himself with the compelling and diverse projects he’s brought to life including his newest show The Quest.

The Quest is a ground-breaking immersive competition series that drops eight real teens into the fantastic, fictional world of Everealm, where they must save a kingdom by fulfilling an ancient prophecy. Throughout the eight-episode series, these heroes are immersed in a fantasy world that come to life replete with a castle, royals, ethereal fates, and a sorceress intent on destruction and power.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Elliott about The Quest, his character’s journey, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts and storytelling?
Elliott: I found my home in the drama department at school. It was the only thing that I really applied myself to. I was immersed in it. I always wanted to do more. When I left school, it wasn’t really a choice about whether or not I was going to pursue it. It’s just what I did. It was an important part of my identity.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Elliott: I’ve had some really good mentorship in my career. I would say different people at different stages have been really important to me. But a very important moment was when I was in my early twenties. A director had seen me in a fringe theater show. She gave me some mentorship and a bit of coaching. Eventually, she was directing a show at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK. I got a part in that. That was a really, really big deal for me at the time. It was really exciting. I owe a lot to her mentorship over those few years. There have been people like that over the course of my career that have been pivotal.

PC: In addition to acting, you’re also a writer. How has your work behind the scenes made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Elliott: When you start writing, you start to understand the structure in a way that you might not necessarily think about when you’re approaching a script as an actor. It’s formulaic. When I get audition sides now, I look at what page number it’s on. If it’s on page 20, then chances are it’s in act two. I have become more aware of what purpose the scene is serving in the story. It’s very useful to work in all different departments.

PC: You’re one of the stars of The Quest, which is one of the most unique series that I’ve ever seen. Can you tell us about the project, your character, and what drew you to it?
Elliott: It’s totally unique. I’ve made my way through it, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s incredible. It’s a very, very special project. It appeals to so many different people for so many different reasons. It’s this immersive epic fantasy world produced by the producers of Lord of the Rings, The Amazing Race, and Queer Eye. You’ve got people at the top of their game from different sectors of the industry in scripted drama and competition and reality series. It’s all one hybrid world with scripted actors and non-scripted contestants. We play out an eight-episode narrative structure for a whole TV series with eight real-life people who have been plopped into our world to help us complete our quest.

I play one of the princes of Sanctum which is a big city in Everealm. It’s a really, really cool character with an amazing arc. I was very lucky to have that opportunity. He starts out as this broody, combative, arrogant prince. Through a series of humbling failures throughout the series, he learns how to collaborate and become a better man. That was really fun because there are definitely some clear moments in the series where that happens for him. I really enjoy going through that journey. That’s a fun thing for an actor.

PC: That’s the perfect segue to this next question. Like you were saying, we see your character’s journey from boy to man all while living through his grief. As an actor, how did you create the space for yourself to dive into this arc?
Elliott: That’s a really good question. I came at it from a few different angles. A good thing to do is always to look at that starting point. Where are we starting? What has happened? What is going on in his life in that moment? The thing that was most prevalent was that grief in the beginning and the question of how grief would manifest in Cedric. I haven’t experienced the grief that he’s going through in the series, but I looked into it. I read about it. It was definitely important in the discussions that I had with the production team. That was the starting point.

I was exploring this idea of masculinity. I just turned thirty. I was going through a transitional point in my life as well just in terms of getting older. It’s just a number, but it happens for different people at different times in their lives. I think for me it was one of those times in my life where things were changing and I felt like I was growing up, and I definitely used that to give richness and realness to the character.

PC: This series does such a beautiful job balancing scripted material with the unscripted world. How helpful was your experience in theater when preparing for this role? How challenging was it to marry those two different worlds?
Elliott: That’s a good question as well. My background is theatrical, so I think that was useful because with good theatrical training you learn to make the scene about other people. You’re very aware of everyone else in the space, and you’re responsive to them. You’re not thinking so much about yourself. That was a key thing with improv. It was about being aware of my colleagues, the other actors, and also being aware of the contestants and knowing that it’s okay—whatever I did was okay. In the theater when it’s different every single night, you can’t do it the same way every time. Whatever you do is just the way it is. It’s live.

That’s the special thing about performing for a live audience. I just took that mentality and applied it to this project. The only difference is that this is being filmed. In terms of my performance style, I didn’t need to project. I could keep things more internal. When the camera’s on you (and most of the time you can feel it), I keep it contained as much as possible, so that the performance isn’t too theatrical. It’s definitely more theatrical stylistically than a typical TV series.

PC: Outside of The Quest, you have another project that you’re working on right now. Is there anything you can tell us about Masters of the Air?
Elliott: I’m not working on it anymore. I finished in December, but I was on the project for about eight months. It’s a very, very different project. I played a real-life person called Donald Strout. He was a navigator in one of the B-17 planes in the American Air Force in the Second World War. It was a privilege to play someone who actually existed. The show is produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It’s the next offering in the Band of Brothers trilogy. It’s very much in a similar vein. It’s very real. Its focal point is the camaraderie and the relationships. It follows the boys that participated in that awful war.

PC: This is such an exciting time in your career. As you look ahead to the next five, ten years, is there a dream role that you would love to bring to life either on the stage or screen?
Elliott: I don’t have any one in particular, but I’ve enjoyed playing real-life people. I would love to do a biopic of someone really interesting and layered. I would love a really meaty performance like that. I don’t know who it is, and I don’t know what projects are going to be made in the next five or ten years, but let’s put that out there!

To keep up with Elliott, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch The Quest on Disney+ today.