Growing up in Massachusetts as the youngest of three boys, John Krasinski indulged his imagination by imitating the action heroes he saw on screen. Now, the actor is one of them in the globe-trotting family action film, Fountain of Youth.
“I used to pretend to be in these movies, so to actually be in them is crazy,” John, 45, tells TV WEEK, adding that Indiana Jones had a huge impact on him. “I remember Indiana was the first person who wasn’t wearing a cape. He was a superhero who was just using his brain and sheer will to get to these places. I thought that was so cool.”
He may not wear a fedora or carry a whip, but The Office alum is in his element as Luke Purdue, a knowledgeable explorer with a penchant for stealing priceless artifacts. But his pursuits are often fruitless in the wake of his father’s passing who taught he and sister Charlotte – played by Natalie Portman – everything they know. But when clues emerge about the location of the mythical Fountain of Youth, Luke recruits his estranged sister for the quest.
For Academy Award winner Natalie, it was a chance to embark on a family-oriented film that fulfilled a childhood wish.
“I always dreamed of having a sibling as an only child, so I got to put years of imagination to work in the film,” Natalie, 43, explains. “Each lead character is accompanied on this journey by the person they’ve known the longest.”
John adds that starring alongside Natalie as siblings was an additional bonus.
“Natalie has done so many iconic roles but you get to show off how funny she is in this,” he says. “We started working in Vienna and she came into dinner with my family and I, which was great. The bickering from the siblings comes from the humour we had off camera. I love the initial juxtaposition between Luke and Charlotte – this idea of the adventurous spirit and the person who is always playing it safe.”
Directed by Guy Ritchie, Fountain of Youth takes the duo around the world from the streets of Bangkok to London, Liverpool Vienna, and eventually the fabled Egyptian pyramids in Cairo in search of clues – and as an escape from bounty hunters. Filming in the actual locations as opposed to green screen was a pre-requisite for the acclaimed director who wanted to bring the audience along.
“The more you can be there, the more unconsciously, explicitly and implicitly, the audience feels that,” Guy explains.
“I felt like a kid when we were at the pyramids. It was like, ‘wow we really are in a movie and this is real.’” Domhnall Gleeson, who plays Owen Carver, says.
Eiza Gonzále, who plays Esme in her third collaboration with Guy, says filming in the brutal heat of Bangkok and Cairo caused her to feel “a bit faint” but she welcomed the challenge.
“This is one of my most exciting roles ever,” she says. “I’ve done quite a lot of action films before but haven’t necessarily done much of the action myself. On this, I’ve done the most action in my life.”
As a billionaire with a terminal illness, Owen is keen to find the elixir of life.
“Carver wants to find the Fountain of Youth because he has a terminal illness, and if he was to find the Fountain, it would heal him,” Domhnall says. “Also, he wants to have one more adventure, before his time runs out. He likes to feel like he’s having fun.”
With long, philosophical conversations in the trailer each day, John and Natalie got to understand the perspectives of their characters in the quest, as well as their own.
“It led to this ongoing conversation that the Fountain of Youth is enlightenment,” he says. “What is it that makes you happy and are there things you’d change? It gave you a sense of self.”
Natalie agrees, adding that as a mother to son Aleph and daughter Amelia, the film allowed her to explore those thoughts further.
“Charlotte’s reaction to having a wild father is to make life safe and steady for her child,” she says. “As a mum, I resonate with that, and the balance between what it means to be a responsible adult and holding onto that wonder of youth.”
While John, who has two daughters, Hazel and Violet, with wife and actress Emily Blunt, is quick to dismiss the comparisons to Indiana Jones – “I know I won’t be able to do this until I’m 80 like Harrison did, he’s incredible,” he says – he does hope that the Fountain of Youth will give his own kids a chance to explore their imagination, just like he did.
“That would be amazing and some kind of, full-meta universe for me,” he says. “But every day I pinch myself. I get to do all the dreams I had as a kid.”
Fountain of Youth is available to watch on AppleTV+
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