Eduardo Franco’s Unforgettable Stranger Things Journey: Auditions, Why He Left & Behind-the-Scenes Secrets

When Stranger Things Season 4 introduced Argyle, the easygoing Surfer Boy Pizza driver with a love for good vibes and even better pizza, fans immediately embraced him. Played by Eduardo Franco, Argyle became an instant fan-favorite, providing much-needed comic relief amid the season’s intense action and horror.

But how did Eduardo Franco land the role? What was it like working alongside Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, and Charlie Heaton? And why isn’t Argyle returning for Season 5?

From his unexpected audition story to behind-the-scenes challenges and hilarious on-set moments, here’s everything you didn’t know about Eduardo Franco’s unforgettable time on Stranger Things!

Auditioning for Stranger Things

Eduardo Franco’s path to Stranger Things started in late 2019 when he auditioned for the show. Interestingly, his first audition wasn’t for Argyle—it was for Eddie Munson, the leader of the Hellfire Club. But the role ultimately went to Joseph Quinn.

“I remember there were two, like, a couple of self-tapes… I didn’t know if it was the Eddie character at the time, but then when we read the scripts, I was like, ‘Oh yes, I remember this stuff’.”

Later, the casting directors reached out again, this time for an unnamed “stoner character” that would later be revealed as Argyle. Eduardo auditioned again and secured the part in early 2020.

“I started auditioning at the end of 2019, and then I heard back at the beginning of 2020. In February, they told me, ‘Hey, you’re in!’ and just a couple of days later, they sent me to Atlanta for a table read. It all happened so fast.”

One surprising twist? Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler) saw Eduardo in Booksmart and recommended him to the Duffer Brothers—not knowing they were already considering him!

“Finn had seen me in Booksmart, and when he got the script for Season 4, he asked the Duffer Brothers, ‘Do you guys have someone for Argyle yet? Because there’s this guy, Eduardo, that I just saw in Booksmart.’” The funny part? The Duffers had already been thinking about him.

Joining Stranger Things & Life on Set

Eduardo officially joined Stranger Things in Season 4, which premiered in 2022. When he learned he was cast as Argyle, he was ecstatic and couldn’t believe he would be part of such a massive cultural phenomenon.

“When they told me I got the role, I was like, ‘Wait, for real? Like Stranger Things Stranger Things? No way.’ It was so surreal, man. This is Stranger Things we’re talking about. It felt insane.”

Walking onto the Stranger Things set for the first time was overwhelming for Eduardo. He was amazed by the level of detail on set, particularly in how the 1980s aesthetic was recreated so authentically.

“Man, it was like stepping into a time machine. The props, the furniture, even the soda cans—everything looked like it was straight from the ’80s.”

Eduardo also admired how much of the show relied on practical effects rather than CGI, making his experience even more immersive.

“The Creel House? It’s real. The vines? They’re actually there. They make everything feel alive, so you don’t have to fake reactions.”

He first met the cast during a table read in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production.

“We did a table read in February that year… I got to meet mostly everyone… then the world ended,” he joked.

Once production resumed, Eduardo quickly bonded with Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers). Their on-screen chemistry as Jonathan and Argyle was just as strong off-screen.

“Charlie is the funniest dude. He’s always had to be so serious in the show, dealing with monsters every damn season. But now? He finally gets to goof off, and we just laughed all the time.”

Finn Wolfhard also welcomed Eduardo into the cast and even planned a surprise birthday outing for him in Albuquerque, where they went to a retro arcade.

“Dude, Finn took me to this spot that had every old-school console, every arcade game. It was unreal.”

While on set, Eduardo also learned how to play poker and frequently played with the cast between takes. He quickly figured out bluffing techniques and joked about tricking Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) into losing money.

“I found out about the bluffing method and was like, ‘Oh, I’m always gonna do that.’ Noah was the only genius who would fall for it every time.”

Beyond poker, Eduardo loved making the cast and crew laugh. He saw it as a personal challenge to get reactions out of people behind the camera.

“If I can get someone to laugh off-camera—especially the crew—that’s what I live for. Nobody owes you a laugh. If you get one, you earned it.”

Eduardo’s Favorite Stranger Things Scenes and Moments

Eduardo had several favorite moments from filming Stranger Things Season 4, many of which were memorable for their humor, intensity, or the fun he had on set.

The Dinner Table Scene with Winona Ryder & Brett Gelman: One of Eduardo’s favorite moments on set was filming the dinner scene where Jonathan and Argyle are visibly high while Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman) discuss their plan to go to Alaska. He was especially thrilled to work with Winona Ryder, calling her “super cool.” He enjoyed the improvisational nature of the scene and how open Ryder and Gelman were to playing around with the lines.

“It was my first time working with them, and they were just so open to playing around. Winona is amazing, man. She’s just super cool.”

Eduardo and Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) struggled to keep a straight face while acting high and reacting to Joyce (played by Winona Ryder) and Murray’s serious conversation, making this one of the funniest filming experiences for him.

The Dig Dug Arcade Scene: Although Eduardo didn’t grow up in the 80s, he loved the nostalgic feel of the Dig Dug arcade scene, which reminded him of his own childhood playing video games. He connected with the energy of kids just being kids, something he cherishes.

“Dude, I love that scene because it’s just kids being kids, playing games. That’s all I ever wish I could be again—just a kid playing games.”

This scene stood out to him because it brought back his own childhood memories of spending time in arcades, and it showcased the lighter, more playful side of Stranger Things.

The Van Escape Scene: This was one of the most intense scenes for Eduardo to shoot. In the scene, Jonathan, Will, and Mike jump into Argyle’s moving van while escaping from government agents in the desert. The catch? Eduardo had just learned how to drive stick before filming this sequence, making it extra challenging.

“I had to be super careful about my driving because they were literally jumping into the van while it was moving.”

He recalled being nervous about making sure his co-stars weren’t in the way of the slamming van door and ensuring the car didn’t stall mid-take. The scene was a high-stakes action sequence, but it also added some comedic relief, making it a mix of both tension and humor.

The Sensory Deprivation (Salt Bath) Scene: One of the funniest moments for Eduardo while filming was the salt bath scene with Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven). Since she had to float in water with heavy salt concentration to create the sensory deprivation effect, she couldn’t hear anything happening on set. The result? She kept acting even after the director yelled “Cut!” which left Eduardo and the rest of the cast in hysterics.

“She would just keep saying the lines, and they’d be like ‘Cut!’ and she’d still be doing the scene. I was losing my mind.”

Eduardo loved how committed Millie was to the scene, but he couldn’t help but break character multiple times because of how funny it was to see her continue acting while floating in the water.

The Scene Where They Try to Save a Man’s Life in the Van: This scene, where Argyle, Jonathan, Will, and Mike desperately try to keep an injured man alive in the back of the van, was one of the most intense and engaging for Eduardo to film. Unlike many of his comedic moments, this sequence required him to show a different side of Argyle—one where the stakes were real, and he had to act under pressure.

One of the most intense and fun scenes to shoot, Eduardo enjoyed the challenge of balancing humor with the serious tension of the moment.

Challenges While Filming

Eduardo also reflected on how precise the Duffer Brothers were as directors, ensuring every little detail was perfect before moving forward with a shot.

“They won’t let anything slide. If something’s not right, even the tiniest detail, they’ll stop everything and fix it before we continue.”

Eduardo had to learn how to drive a manual transmission for the role since Argyle’s Surfer Boy Pizza van was a stick shift.

“I had to learn how to drive stick for the role. The stunt driver who taught me was cool as hell, super patient. If my mom and dad had tried to teach me, it would’ve been a nightmare!”

The toughest scene to shoot? The desert escape sequence, where Jonathan, Will, and Mike jump into the moving van.

“I had just learned how to drive a stick shift, and they put me in a Volkswagen van… going uphill. So I had to balance the clutch, the brake, and make sure we didn’t stall in the middle of the scene. It was a nightmare!”

Another difficult moment? Wearing special-effects contact lenses for Argyle’s bloodshot eyes.

“I was not used to that… Have you ever watched Clockwork Orange? If they would’ve done that to me, they would’ve gotten it done like this! But, like, the whole time I was squeezing like a dog toy while they were peeling my eyelids back trying to put them in.”

Why Eduardo Franco Didn’t Return for Season 5

In early 2024, Eduardo confirmed that he had NOT been contacted to return for Stranger Things Season 5.

“I haven’t gotten a phone call,” he said in an interview, implying that Argyle is not coming back.”

Previously, Eduardo also had suggested that Argyle was likely always intended as a one-season character, serving as Jonathan’s comic relief while adding a fresh energy to the group.

“I kind of had the feeling that Argyle was a one-time thing. He wasn’t really part of the core mystery—he was just along for the ride,” he shared at Dallas Fan Expo.

During another panel, he acknowledged that the Stranger Things production team had to juggle a large cast and multiple storylines, which made it understandable that some characters would not return for the final season.

“It makes sense, you know? They have a lot of stuff to wrap up, a lot of stories to finish,” he explained.

That being said, Eduardo had his own humorous ideas for how Argyle could return to the series.

“Imagine if he accidentally got sucked into the Upside Down—like, just delivering a pizza, and boom, he’s in there. That would be so sick,” he joked.

Despite this, fans have continued to push for his return, with many suggesting an Argyle spin-off centered around Surfer Boy Pizza.

“If they don’t at least give us Argyle back, we’re gonna riot!” he playfully said at a convention.

Eduardo remains grateful for the experience, emphasizing that Stranger Things introduced him to incredible opportunities and friendships that he will always cherish.

“It’s all love, man. I got to be part of something huge, and I’ll never forget that,” he reflected.

Trivia About Eduardo Franco’s Stranger Things Experience

• He originally auditioned for Eddie Munson – Before being cast as Argyle, Eduardo auditioned for the role of Eddie, which eventually went to Joseph Quinn. He later got called back for an unnamed “stoner character” that turned out to be Argyle.
• He filmed scenes out of order – Since Stranger Things Season 4 had multiple locations, Eduardo shot Hawkins-related scenes in Atlanta first, while the California storyline (where Argyle is introduced) was filmed later.
• He brought a Nintendo 64 to set – Eduardo introduced his castmates to Pokémon Stadium, and they spent a lot of downtime playing it together on set.
• He tricked Noah Schnapp in poker games – Eduardo learned how to play poker while filming and joked that he consistently tricked Noah Schnapp into losing money by using a bluffing method.
• He struggled with special-effects contact lenses – To give Argyle his “stoner look,” Eduardo had to wear bloodshot contact lenses, which he described as uncomfortable. He compared the process of putting them in to A Clockwork Orange‘s infamous eye-opening scene.
• He was overwhelmed working with Winona Ryder – Eduardo was excited but nervous to act alongside Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers) and Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman) in the dinner scene. He called Ryder “super cool” and said she made the set feel comfortable.
• He had to learn to drive stick for Argyle’s van – Since Argyle’s Surfer Boy Pizza van was a manual transmission, Eduardo had to learn how to drive a stick shift for the role. He described it as one of the most stressful parts of filming, especially during action scenes.
• He didn’t know if he was in Season 5 until fans asked – Eduardo wasn’t informed about whether Argyle would return and found out when fans started asking why he wasn’t in the Season 5 cast announcement.
• He owns a full Batman suit – While filming Stranger Things, Eduardo bought a Michael Keaton-era Batman suit on eBay and joked that it fits him perfectly.
• He wants Argyle to return in the most ridiculous way possible – Eduardo joked that if Argyle were to return, he should accidentally deliver a pizza to the Upside Down and get trapped there.
• He became a recluse after Stranger Things – Eduardo admitted that after the show’s release, the sudden fame was overwhelming, and he found himself withdrawing from public life, spending most of his time at home.
• He was shocked by fans cosplaying as Argyle – At conventions, Eduardo was surprised to see fans dressed as Argyle with incredibly accurate outfits, saying, “I saw a great Argyle today. I mean, every piece—he looked almost like me!”.
• He loved working with Charlie Heaton off-screen – Eduardo and Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers) quickly became friends off-set and spent hours playing video games together, especially Pokémon Stadium.
• He finds it difficult to watch his own performances – Eduardo avoids watching his own work because he tends to overanalyze everything, saying, “I just can’t… I’m criticizing myself the whole time, like ‘Why did I do that?’”.
• He owns an original Simpsons arcade machine – Eduardo is a huge arcade game fan and keeps an original Simpsons arcade cabinet at home despite it taking up a lot of space.