Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things: Argyle, the Surfer Boy Pizza delivery guy
Actor · Eduardo Franco · Season 4
An actor from Arizona, a single season, eight episodes out of nine. In this article: who Eduardo Franco is, his roles before Hawkins, Argyle's road trip from Lenora Hills to Nevada, the audition for Eddie and the character's humor, his absence from season 5, and what he has filmed since.
Eduardo Franco plays Argyle, the pizza delivery guy and Jonathan Byers's best friend in California, in season 4. Before the yellow van of March 1986, he was Spencer in American Vandal, then Theo in Booksmart, a role written for him.
The essentials
- Role: Argyle, season 4, March 1986
- Born in: Yuma, Arizona, to Mexican parents
- Date of birth: uncertain: 1994 or 1995 depending on the source
- Announced: November 20, 2020, among the series regulars
- Audition: first for the role of Eddie Munson
- Episodes: 8 of 9, absent from the seventh
- Final season: absent, confirmed in January 2024
Contents
Who is Eduardo Franco
Eduardo Franco was born in Yuma, Arizona, to Mexican parents. He grew up in a working-class family and often crossed the border to see his relatives in Mexico. His date of birth varies by source: August 29, 1994, for some, November 11, 1995, for others.
His hair has a story. In Mexico, an aunt ran a hair salon and cut it on every visit, which made each trip longer. The teenager eventually stopped waiting. Since then, he has cut it only once: at sixteen, for a job at a movie theater. He was saving up for a car. In the end, the money helped his parents pay bills. The site Remezcla told the story in a profile published in May 2019.
His parents support him, though they could not help him financially once he moved to Los Angeles. He is an actor and a comedian. His first roles were in TV comedies, from 2015 to 2017: Stu in seven episodes of Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, Gavis in four episodes of Adam Ruins Everything.
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2015 First comedies
Stu in Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, Gavis in Adam Ruins Everything, through 2017.
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2017 American Vandal
Spencer Diaz, in six episodes of the first season. His first standout role.
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2019 Booksmart
Theo, a character created for him in the first film directed by Olivia Wilde.
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November 20, 2020 Argyle
He is announced among the series regulars for season 4, along with Joseph Quinn.
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May 27, 2022 Season 4 comes out
Seven episodes first; the last two follow on July 1.
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January 2024 No call
Missing from the season 5 set photo, he confirms that Argyle is not coming back.
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2024 Y2K
Farkas, in Kyle Mooney's film.
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2026 DC Studios
He is announced for The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a comedy series.
The yellow Surfer Boy Pizza T-shirt, in kids' or adult sizes, bearing the pizzeria's name.
In the shopSurfer Boy Pizza T-Shirt Yellow Kids and Adults39,90 €See the product
Before Hawkins: American Vandal and Booksmart
His first standout role came in 2017. American Vandal, launched on September 15, 2017, parodies true-crime documentaries, from Making a Murderer to Serial. Eduardo Franco played Spencer Diaz in six episodes of the first season.
In 2018, he was Jeremy Abelar in The Package, a comedy by Jake Szymanski, and a delivery guy named Kevin in the pilot of The Cool Kids. Then came Booksmart, in 2019, the first film directed by Olivia Wilde. He had read for another part. Wilde and the casting team called him back: a character had been invented for him.
That character is Theo, a laid-back high schooler who has been held back several times and flirts with his teacher. In a party scene, he even uses his hair as a comic prop.
Between shoots, he appeared in national commercials for GEICO, Samsung and TurboTax. In 2020, he played the lead role of Andrew in The Binge, a film made for Hulu. In 2021, he began voicing DJ Catnip in the original English version of Gabby's Dollhouse, a character called DJ Miaou in the French version.
Argyle in 1986, from Lenora Hills to Nevada
In season 4, the Byers and Eleven live in Lenora Hills, California. Argyle, best friend of Jonathan Byers since the fall of 1985, delivers for Surfer Boy Pizza and drives the siblings to school in his delivery van, because Jonathan's car has broken down. In a letter to Mike, Eleven describes him as Jonathan's funny friend, with hair longer than hers.
Right from episode 1, “The Hellfire Club”, in woodshop class, he picks apart Jonathan's plan: following Nancy to Emerson College. In episode 2, “Vecna's Curse,” the two friends hit golf balls in a vacant lot, and Jonathan admits he never applied to Emerson. In episode 3, “The Monster and the Superhero,” they pick the kids up at the roller rink, where Eleven has just hit Angela with a skate.
In episode 4, “Dear Billy”, Jonathan has pizzas ordered so that Argyle will come and pick the boys up. The delivery guy arrives in the middle of a military assault on the house. At first, he thinks it is a party nobody invited him to. Jonathan, Will, Mike and a wounded Agent Harmon pile into the van, and Argyle takes off. Harmon dies on the road, in episode 5, “The Nina Project”. Argyle panics while they bury the body, then makes him a headstone out of a pizza box.
The van heads for Utah. In episode 6, “The Dive,” Suzie locates the Nina Project while Argyle slips away with Eden, Suzie's sister. In episode 8, “Papa,” he is the one who spots the tire tracks of military vehicles in the Nevada desert. The van's arrival distracts the gunman in a helicopter who is aiming at Eleven. In episode 9, “The Piggyback,” he leads the group to another Surfer Boy Pizza: its freezer, filled with salt water, becomes the bath from which Eleven reaches Max's mind.
A role built for laughs, and what the actor says about it
As early as the fall of 2019, the production was looking for three teenagers: a metal fan, an arrogant jock and a Jeff Spicoli lookalike, the stoner from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The third would become Argyle. Eduardo Franco, for his part, first read for Eddie Munson, the role that went to Joseph Quinn. “They made a beautiful decision,” he said in early June 2022, on the red carpet of the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
On November 20, 2020, he was announced among the season's series regulars, the same day as Joseph Quinn and Jamie Campbell Bower. In February 2021, in the middle of the shoot, Finn Wolfhard was already talking on CBC about a new “stoner,” Eduardo Franco's role. His name does not appear in the opening credits: it sits under the “Also starring” heading, like those of Jamie Campbell Bower, Cara Buono and Joseph Quinn. The season 4 cast introduces all these newcomers.
Next to Jonathan, the more serious friend played by Charlie Heaton, Argyle lightens the mood. Eduardo Franco describes him as Jonathan's “judgement-free” friend, at a time when distance is wearing down Jonathan's relationship with Nancy. For the golf scene, neither he nor Heaton had ever played: the production took them to a country club. They were dressed as golfers, and he got a lime green shirt. Remezcla published his comments on May 27, 2022, release day.
The character's humor comes from little things: pineapple, which he pushes even over the pizzeria's phone, “my dude” for everyone, genuine panic in the face of violence. His catchphrase fits in four words: “Try before you deny.” He throws it at Mike, who refuses to taste his pineapple pizza in episode 9.
The 44 mm Surfer Boy Pizza van pin, the delivery vehicle from season 4.
In the shop44 mm Surfer Boy Pizza van pin12,90 €See the product
Season 5, without Argyle
Argyle does not appear in season 5. In January 2024, filming begins, announced with a group photo on Instagram. Eduardo Franco is not in it. Asked about it by a critic on YouTube, he answers that he “never got a phone call” and thinks that is the end of the story. The Los Angeles Times reported his words on January 11, 2024.
His last ride belongs to the end of season 4. In episode 9, two days after Nevada, the van drives into a town that cars are fleeing. Argyle then helps fix up Hopper's cabin, and gathers mushrooms. Then the town is quarantined, and he drops out of the story. Fans assume he went back to Lenora Hills; the show does not show it.
One echo remains. In the sixth episode of the final season, “Escape from Camazotz,” Nancy admits to Jonathan that she flushed his stash of “Purple Palm Tree Delight” down the toilet, the weed Argyle shared with him in 1986. His final episode remains “The Piggyback”, the last one in which the actor is credited.
After Argyle: voices, films and DC
In 2023, he voiced Trevin in the original English version of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, and acted in Self Reliance. In 2024, he played Farkas in Y2K, Kyle Mooney's film. In 2025, he returned as DJ Catnip, again in the original English version, in Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie.
In 2026, he again lends his voice, in the original English version, to Daryl in Goat and to Loaf in Hoppers, released in France as Jumpers. He appears in an episode of the second season of Beef. He is also part of the cast of Focker-in-Law, by John Hamburg. The same year, he is announced for The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a comedy series from DC Studios.
For audiences, Argyle is the role that made him known, in 2022. In 2024, the Los Angeles Times noted that the character's California vibe and his yellow van had been well received by fans of an often serious show. That van has its place among the cars in the show. In 2022, Remezcla also highlighted the Latino representation he brings. He summed it up: “We're here, man.”
The buildable mini figure of Jonathan Byers, the eldest Byers son, exiled in California.
In the shopBuildable mini figure Jonathan Byers14,90 €See the product
Frequently asked questions
Who plays Argyle in the show?
Eduardo Franco, an actor and comedian born in Yuma, Arizona. He plays the role in season 4, released in 2022.
How old is Eduardo Franco?
He is in his thirties. His exact age depends on the source: born August 29, 1994, according to some, November 11, 1995, according to others.
Did Eduardo Franco audition for Eddie?
Yes. He first read for Eddie Munson, the role that went to Joseph Quinn. He told the story in early June 2022, praising that choice.
Does Argyle come back in season 5?
No. In January 2024, missing from the set photo, the actor said he had never gotten a call. The character does not reappear.
In how many episodes does Argyle appear?
Eight of the nine in season 4. Only the seventh, “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” goes without him.
Which character does he voice in Gabby's Dollhouse?
DJ Catnip, in the original English version: in the series from 2021, then in the 2025 film. In the French version, the character is called DJ Miaou.
