Eiza González delves into one of the most famously unsolved historical enigmas in ‘Fountain of Youth’

Los Angeles (USA), (EFE) – Eiza González delves into the search for one of humanity’s most hidden mysteries in ‘Fountain of Youth,’ a comedy arriving this Friday on Apple TV that blends fiction with the story of the mythical spring that restores eternal youth.

“The film touches on many themes, and I think that’s the beauty of it. A well-written film is one from which you can take whatever is important to you from the story,” the Mexican actress says in an interview with EFE.

In her third project with filmmaker Guy Ritchie after ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ and ‘In the Grey,’ the 35-year-old Mexican star plays the enigmatic Esme, “a character with a lot of action and fun, but simultaneously with a lot of depth and intelligence,” she explains.

Esme’s mission focuses on chasing Luke Perdue (John Krasinski) and his younger sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman), who team up after several years apart to search for the legendary Fountain of Youth.

“We don’t really understand (Esme’s) motive for trying to track them down and stop them on this adventure. As time goes by, and we peel back the layers, we can understand a little bit of her intentions and where she’s coming from,” she adds.

Behind the intense back-and-forth between Esme and Luke, which is tinged with dark humor and a bit of romance, lies “many months of preparation” and training in everything from handling knives and guns to preparing hand-to-hand combat scenes.

It was a process of learning a lot, “but at the same time, it was a lot of dedication, along with John and Gae, to developing the dynamic between them, because obviously there’s a lot of comedy” between Luke and Esme, she explains.

“That’s what I like about Guy Ritchie’s characters: there’s no stereotype. It’s never a stereotypical or archetypal character, where we’d think, ‘This is a villain,’ ‘This is the good guy,’ or whatever it is in that version. (Esme) is a person with intentions, and we discover what those intentions are and why she’s so passionate about what she’s talking about or what she’s protecting.”

From Bangkok to Cairo, via Vienna and the United Kingdom

But to solve one of the most secret mysteries on the planet, Esme must track Luke to the most unexpected places, from bustling Bangkok to historic Vienna and even delving into the famous Egyptian pyramids.

“It’s not very often that we get the opportunity to actually travel and film in real locations,” so traveling to the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, to film “gives you a different energy to the workday,” González acknowledges.

Being in the same place where the action takes place adds value to the story and helps unite the cast.

“We came away from this film getting along really well. We all ended up very close, even though some of us don’t work together or have dinners together. It becomes a community, and that’s what stayed with me,” he says.

Beyond the blending of ancient and modern cultures, the film delves into the annals of world history and art history to pose moral dilemmas, which “makes you create a kind of imaginary world and greatly expands your curiosity,” he admits.

“These films are designed so that everyone takes away whatever is important to them from the film: it could be the story of the family, the dynamics between siblings, the importance of family, the importance of the moment you’re living in, valuing what you have in this moment, not thinking about the future, or the curiosity for adventure,” he concludes.