Eduardo Franco is thriving far away from Hawkins’ eerie atmosphere.
The actor who played Argyle in season four of Stranger Things has been prioritizing his health and recently shared photos of his fit physique as he prepares for a new movie role.
Eduardo shared in a November Instagram video that he found out he’d gotten the job on July 14th. He explained that his character first appears shirtless in the very beginning of the movie, so he wanted to get in the best shape possible for that scene.
Okay, so this actor – he’s 31 – is starting a new movie, and he’s serious about getting in shape for it! He immediately connected with trainer Stephen Cheuk and they jumped into a three-month fitness plan. He’s keeping the details of the role and the film under wraps for now, but trust me, he’s dedicated to transforming his body for this part. As a lifestyle expert, I always say preparation is key, and he’s clearly taking that to heart!
He explained that he hadn’t done any strength training before. He said Stephen was a great coach and the experience was amazing.
The American Vandal actor’s teacher wasn’t the only one impressed with his improvement. His former Stranger Things co-star, Caleb McLaughlin, also showed his support with an enthusiastic comment: “Oh st!”
I was so impressed by the dedication of the Stranger Things cast! Everyone knows about Eduardo’s transformation, but I was amazed to learn that David Harbour lost a huge 75 pounds for season four! It was all to convincingly portray Jim Hopper’s experience in that Russian labor camp, and honestly, it really showed. He completely committed to the role!
I was so impressed by his transformation! He told GQ that he started at 265 pounds and worked his way down to 190. It was a really quick initial drop – he lost around 45 to 50 pounds in just three months. Then, because of the pandemic delaying filming, it became more about maintaining that loss over the next four months, and then keeping it off for a whole year until they could finally shoot!
He explained that losing weight started easily, but became increasingly difficult as he lost more. He described how his body seemed to resist further weight loss, but initially, the process felt freeing.
As for the strenuous workout plan that helped him reach his goals at the time?
David explained that his workout routine combined strength training with cardio. The cardio involved long, low-intensity runs, typically 60 to 90 minutes at a heart rate around 165. He also did a lot of Pilates and some weight training, focusing on achieving a lean physique. He wanted to build strength while avoiding appearing overly thin, and found Pilates particularly helpful for this.
Keep reading to see more actors who transformed their bodies for a role…
Channing Tatum’s weight has changed a lot over time, particularly in 2024, because he prepared for two movies filmed one after the other by physically transforming his body for each role.
In a March 2025 Instagram post, he revealed he currently weighs 205 pounds, which is heavier than his 172-pound weight during the filming of Roofman (pictured right). Before Roofman, he filmed Josephine (pictured left) and weighed 235 pounds for that role.
To prepare for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Bob Dylan in the film A Complete Unknown, the actor from Dune taught himself to sing and play guitar.
He also revealed on the NPR podcast All Things Considered in January 2025 that he’d gained twenty pounds, explaining he was actually lighter than the actor he was portraying.
Cillian Murphy, who plays J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer, lost a significant amount of weight for the role. He became very thin, reportedly living on a diet of mostly martinis and cigarettes. According to his costar Emily Blunt, the actor’s dedication was extreme – he limited himself to just one almond per day due to the immense pressure of the part.
The Academy Award-winning actor revealed he lost 52 pounds for his role as the Joker. He told the Associated Press that hitting the target weight was a turning point, explaining that the biggest challenge was the daily focus on even tiny weight changes, which he described as becoming obsessive and almost like a disorder.
Fans were surprised to see noticeably larger biceps on the former Spider-Man actor when he appeared in Justice League.
He explained that his mother was concerned when he lost thirty pounds for the film Nightcrawler. She wanted him to be safe, but she also understood and admired his dedication to his work.
Johnny Depp, known for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean, described how difficult it was, both physically and emotionally, to lose 52 pounds for his film The Cut.
He explained on This Morning that he was completely drained, both mentally and physically, and really irritable from being hungry. He admitted he was difficult to be around, struggling with paranoia and unwanted, intrusive thoughts.
He added that it’s best not to try this yourself, and warned it wasn’t something to be taken casually.
Michael B. Jordan, known for his role in Black Panther, added almost 30 pounds of muscle to convincingly play a boxer who goes from amateur to professional in the movie Creed.
The actor and musician won an Academy Award for his powerful performance in The Dallas Buyers Club. He lost 40 pounds to prepare for the part.
The Mindy Project alum had to gain 40 pounds for his role in Live by Night.
Renée Zellweger put on weight to convincingly play the charming Bridget Jones in the first two movies of the series.
Matthew McConaughey lost 30 pounds to play the lead role in The Dallas Buyer’s Club, a movie based on the true story of a man with AIDS in the 1980s who sought out and smuggled unapproved treatments from Mexico to manage his illness.
The actress looked lean and strong for her starring role in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
The Les Misérables star took home an Oscar for her role in the musical.
This actor is known for dramatically changing his body for roles. He’s lost significant weight for films like The Machinist and The Fighter, and gained weight for American Hustle. He also underwent a huge weight loss to prepare for Ford v Ferrari.
Jake Gyllenhaal transformed into a godlike figure rather than a traditional prince for his role in the 2010 film Prince of Persia. To get in shape for the part, he trained in Parkour, a French discipline focused on navigating obstacles through running and jumping.
The Oscar-winning actor explained to Time magazine that his preparation for the 2000 film Cast Away – where he played a man stranded on a deserted island and lost over 50 pounds – simply required dedication and self-control.
The rapper surprised his followers by sharing a photo showing his significant weight loss. He reportedly dropped from 214 to 160 pounds in only nine weeks to convincingly portray a football player battling cancer in the film Things Fall Apart.
It’s common for actors to transform themselves for roles, but one famous actor took it to the extreme. He received an Academy Award nomination for his chilling portrayal of Max Cady, a tattooed and violent criminal, in the 1991 film Cape Fear.
To play former Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2018 movie Vice, the actor gained weight to more accurately portray him.
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2026-01-30 00:20