What if love really never dies? It’s the big question at the heart of Eternity, a romantic comedy set in the great beyond from filmmaker David Freyne (Dating Amber). The film has an intriguing concept exploring what happens when love follows one woman beyond the grave, forcing her to decide where, and with whom, to spend forever.
It’s a pertinent question for anyone who is in, or searching for, love. And perhaps one of the biggest journeys we will ever embark upon in trying to find the answer. But that’s precisely why it works, according to leading stars Elisabeth Olsen and Miles Teller.
Elizabeth (WandaVision) stars as Joan, who having just died, wakes up in a waystation known as The Junction. It’s a bustling, bureaucratic marketplace where souls have just one week to choose their eternal destination.
There, she faces an impossible choice: stick with her devoted husband, Larry (played by Miles) who passed on recently. Or, her first love and war hero, Luke (Callum Turner, The Boys in the Boat), who died decades earlier and has been waiting patiently for her since. It’s a love triangle with a wonderful, but difficult, twist as both men seem perfect for Joan. She can choose the man she built a life with, or begin the life she never got to have with Luke.
In a heartfelt interview with TV WEEK, the co-stars explained that beyond the “absurd” circumstances their characters find themselves in, and the comedic moments throughout, the relatability of love in all its intricacies is the driving force behind the film.
“We’re not creating a story about aspirational love, but we are creating a story about absurd circumstances,” Elisabeth says of the film which takes place in the afterlife. “It’s almost like the absurdity of the situation is why we’re able to focus on such a beautiful human relationship and a lifetime of what all the different types of loves and how many loves there are in one’s life, and how they’re all valid in their own ways.”
Elisabeth, 36, has been married to musician Robbie Arnett since 2019 and immediately drew parallels to own relationship upon reading the script.
“I really fell in love with the way David [Freyne] wrote Joan and Larry’s relationship that we start off with them at their old age before being in the afterlife,” The WandaVision star explains. “Just the way they communicated felt so familiar to me and so warm and ordinary and yet aspirational because of its simplicity.”
Miles, 38, echoes the sentiment by adding that the response to the film has been heart-warming.
“A lot of people have had similar responses in that they just want to talk to us about their parents or their loved ones,” Miles says. “It’s one of those films that really is life affirming, like you said, even though it’s this romantic comedy set in the afterlife, which is a unique concept. But I think it’s universal themes that we’re dealing with.
The first time I watched it, I was like, ‘I don’t want to go out to the real world. I do want to sit in this kind of pocket of love’, as you described it. So, thank you.”
Larry, an ordinary guy seemingly out of his depth against the charming and perfect Luke, was modelled on Miles’ own grandfather, who was married to his grandmother for decades before he passed in 2024. The Top Gun: Maverick star took his grandmother as a guest to the premiere and described the experience as “unique”.
we love you ‘eternity’ trio, my favourite love triangle pic.twitter.com/Vmci8Ca4hj
— rin ✧ (@lizzieonfilm) November 26, 2025
“You know, my grandmother had my mom when she was 16, so I’ve always had the young cool grandparents. My grandma likes to say she’s a ‘youth vampire;” he says with a laugh. “She doesn’t like hanging out with old people, even though she’s like 85 now.”
Miles, who has been married to Keleigh Sperry since 2019, spent a lot of time with his grandparents ahead of filming Eternity. Shortly after his grandfather passed away, Miles and Keleigh also lost their home in the Palisades Fires, but the actor managed to save his grandfather’s watch before evacuating.
“I spent a lot of time with them right before I went to film this project,” he says. “And then my grandfather passed away a couple months ago and when my grandmother first saw the film, it was also my first time seeing and I sat right next to her. She’s always been a strong believer, very faith driven, so I think it brought a tear, but also a smile knowing that she’s going to be reunited with my grandfather, whenever that time comes.”
As the emotional push-and-pull plays out, Elisabeth was challenged to play various versions of Joan as her personality switches per relationship.
“I think what was interesting about getting to go back between those two relationships is the relationship with Larry is the most comfortable version she is of herself. She spent the most time with this person. They are who they are, because of the life they’ve spent together,” she explains.
“And I do believe that even if you haven’t seen someone in 15 years, you pick up where you left off for better or worse. You might hope that you are a better representation of who you think you are today, but you do retreat back.
“In that retreat for Joan with Luke, it doesn’t suit her as well, that kind of youthful butterfly experience, so it was fun getting to figure out like how awkward that feels for her,” Elisabeth adds.
“Including wearing heels – we even had a bit with the heels that I think is not in the film where she hasn’t been wearing little delicate heels and you’ve just forgotten in your body. And what it even feels like to stand up straight [laughs].”
Meanwhile Callum, who is currently engaged to British superstar Dua Lipa, loved playing off his co-stars in a battle of the heart.
“Miles is so alive and so willing to try new things, he allows you to feel like you can play in scenes with him and not be afraid to fall on your face,” Callum says. “And Elizabeth is one of those actors where you see it all happening in her eyes. Just looking at her, you can see all that Luke hoped for in his chance to exist with Joan in the afterlife.”
Da’Vine and John are hilarious as ‘afterlife coordinators’. (Credit: A24)
With Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building) and John Early (The Afterparty) contributing to the comedy as celestial ‘afterlife co-ordinators’, Eternity is funny as well as moving. It’s for anyone who believes that love and all its joy, heartbreak and ordinary might be the thing that makes death worth living for.
And keep an eye out for a particularly funny scene when Joan and Larry realise they’ve returned to their younger bodies and are eager to test the muscle span.
“We had fun squatting [in that scene],” Miles recalls with a laugh. “That’s something we kind of suggested to David and he loved it. It was a lot of fun.”
Eternity is in cinemas now.
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