Inthe aftermath of the Starcourt Mall eventsat the end ofStranger Thingsseason three, just about every character finds themselves in a pretty different place. As the Byers set off out of town, Jonathan in particular is traveling far outside of anywhere fans have ever seen Will’s big brother so far in the series.
Luckily, theStranger Thingscharacter makes a new best friend in California and the pair have a pretty fantastic dynamic. Some fans might be surprised to hear that Jonathan, after a handful of pretty dark and brooding arcs, is going to help provide some much-needed comedic relief when season four (volume one) arrives on May 27.
RELATED:Stranger Things: 9 Best Eleven Quotes
Part of Jonathan’s new vibe has a look to do with the dynamic the character shares with his new best buddy Argyle (played by Eduardo Franco). During a recent interview with Eduardo and Charlie Heaton, the pair talked to Game Rant about how the process they used to approach the duo’s comedic friendship…
Eduardo started off by talking a bit about what sort of dynamic Argyle brings to theStranger Thingsuniverse. “Argyle helps bring some escape from the tears. Brings some laughs and cleanses your palette a little bit.”
The pair seemed to really enjoy working together and explained it was a very organic and playful approach. In response to a question from Game Rant about any particular inspiration they drew from when forming their chemistry, they explained that they didn’t set out to copy or mimic any particular performances, but there were definitely some iconic ones they had in the back of their minds…
“We didn’t sit down and be like ‘let’s watch this and copy this’. Lots of Seth Rogan movies came to mind.Pineapple Expressfor sure. The [Duffer] brothers referencedFast Times, but I never got around to seeing it.” - Charlie Heaton (Jonathan)
Eduardo chimed in to explain a similar approach and the idea of approaching the relationship more organically.
“We were aware of those movies and drew on them, but it was less intentional… It was very organic and natural. We didn’t jump into it like an assignment. We both got along and there was chemistry there and hopefully it made it to the screen and it played out like that.” - Eduardo Franco (Argyle)
Charlie went on to explain how much he enjoyed exploring this very different side of Jonathan Byers during season four…
“There was always going to be a change with the Byers leaving Hawkings. At the end we see Nancy and Jonathan make a promise to stick together, but the reality of that is different. It’s been 6 months and where you see Jonathan in the start he’s dealing with the reality of the relationship. He’s spiraling and figuring out what he needs to do to protect himself from being hurt. But he’s got his new friend and he’s getting advice where he can (from Argyle). It was fun to have a different kind of energy for Jonathan and get to play him unhinged and with the shackles off a bit.” - Charlie
Jonathan’s character has definitely come a long way since season one and it will be very interesting to see how the character interacts with the narrative when he is so far removed from Nancy and Hawkins. Be sure to check back over the coming week for more features, news, and stories asStranger Thingsseason 4 (volume 1)arrives.
Stranger Thingsseason 4, volume 1 releases on Netflix May 27. Volume 2 follows on July 1.
