Eduardo Franco might be the only actor who can make whispering in the dark both hilarious and unnerving, which is exactly what he does in Jake Johnson’s directorial debut Self Reliance. “I play a production assistant ninja, depending on who’s naming who,” Franco laughs. “We tried a more playful version, but I’m glad they kept the creepy one. Taking it really serious—that’s what made it funny.”
The film, where Andy Samberg literally pulls up in a limo and asks a guy if he wants to risk his life for a million bucks, is one of the year’s more original fever dreams. Franco says the whole thing came his way the old-fashioned way: casting director Wendy O’Brien vouched for him. Johnson jumped on a Zoom to pitch it. “He was like, ‘It’s a chill little part, but I promise it’ll be fun.’ I was like, man, of course, dog. Let’s do something.”
For Franco, comedy isn’t about mugging—it’s about conviction. “I never know if it’s funny until someone else says it is, or I hear a grip chuckle behind the camera,” he explains. “If those people, who are hard at work, still laugh, then you know you’re onto something.”
The movie may be absurd on the surface—a death-match reality game run on the dark web—but Franco sees something more grounded. “The whole game show is just the backdrop,” he says. “Really, it’s about a regular dude with everyday struggles—his job, relationships, his father—just trying to survive. That’s what makes it resonate. We’re all multitasking the hard things we call life.”
As for multitasking, Franco’s also juggling fan speculation. Stranger Things die-hards noticed he was missing from the big Season 5 cast photo. “I haven’t gotten a phone call,” he shrugs. “I wish I knew more, but I don’t. I’m at home chilling. That’s it.” If nothing else, he’s open to a spin-off: “What’s that guy doing now? Did he grow up? Get a job driving the van? Crunching numbers at a desk? Who knows.”
Meanwhile, he’s popping up in A24’s Y2K, a movie he can’t say much about other than it’s set around that infamous New Year’s Eve paranoia. “If you were one of the kids throwing a party that night, this one’s gonna hit hard,” he teases. “It’s hilarious and bonkers, just like that era.” He already has his sights set on the next apocalypse date too: “April 20, 2069. 4/20/69. I hope I live long enough to see that. What’s gonna happen that day? Are Klondike’s gonna bring back the Choco Taco? Is the McRib gonna be permanent? Something’s going down.”
Until then, Franco is content to creep out audiences from the shadows. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself whispering like a ninja in the dark tonight—he’s already become the personality you didn’t know you needed.
Watch the interview above and then check out the trailer below.
