Summary

In an interview with Collider, Eiza González and Domhnall Gleeson reveal what it was like working with director Guy Ritchie on Fountain of Youth, whose directing style is often unpredictable.

The film was shot on location, including scenes at the pyramids of Giza, leaving the cast awestruck.

The ensemble cast, including González and Gleeson, helped create a fantastic vibe on set with their co-stars, Natalie Portman and John Krasinski.

Apple TV+’s latest theatrical-sized blockbuster, Fountain of Youth, isn’t just another globe-trotting action-adventure. Across the fun and kinetic two-hour feature, the Guy Ritchie vehicle packs a punch as a high-octane, ensemble-led treasure hunt brimming with pyrotechnics, puzzles, and pyramids. For co-stars Eiza González and Domhnall Gleeson, stepping into that cinematic chaos meant not just grappling with stunts and surprises, but embracing a whole new rhythm of moviemaking.
Ahead of the film’s release on May 23, the pair were all in when Collider caught up with them at the press junket, trading stories about filming in Egypt, adjusting to the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director’s unpredictable directing style, and — yes — feeling very tempted by a certain Aston Martin on set. (Spoiler alert: Someone walked away with a few souvenirs.)
Domhnall Gleeson Admits Working With Guy Ritchie Was “Mad Coming In”

“He works very differently to everyone else I’ve ever worked with.”

Though Fountain of Youth marks González’s third time working with Ritchie, it was Gleeson’s first — and the upcoming star of NBC’s The Office spin-off, The Paper admits, nothing could’ve prepared him for what was in store. “It was mad coming in,” Gleeson says almost incredulously. “He works very differently from everyone else I’ve ever worked with. People can explain it to you ahead of time, but the only way to find out what it is is to do it. You’re kind of in, headfirst.”
Famous for reshuffling scripts and reblocking scenes on the day, Ritchie’s on-the-fly kind of style took some adjusting for Gleeson. “There’s a lot of changing everything on the day. There’s a lot of rolling with the energy and letting go, and that was amazing, but just a little bit scary to begin with.”
Gleeson admits working with his co-stars and the Fountain of Youth’s leads, John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, really helped funnel that energy into the vibe the film needed. “I think [they] set the tone, and [González] as well, because you worked with him,” he says to his co-star. “You were also helping us through it… which is fantastic.”
González is now somewhat of a Ritchie whisperer, having starred in three of his projects, with In the Grey set to release this year. But she reveals that, despite the routine she’s built up for her projects, there are still plenty of surprises she comes across. “You’re always learning from another person,” she explains, “and especially someone as deep and well-rounded as Guy Ritchie. You think you know him, and you really are like, ‘Wow, there are so many layers to you, not only as an individual but also as a director.’”

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“My name is Turkish. Funny name for an Englishman, I know.”

This time around, she approached Fountain of Youth like a clean slate: “I’m always coming to set as if it were the first time I’ve ever worked with this person, and I always want to take advantage of the moment that I’m on set, because it’s not a given. I want to absorb it like a sponge, and so I did.”
Echoing Gleeson’s earlier sentiments, she shares how having this cast made it even easier. “I had the most incredible cast to work with. I would go to the set to watch them sometimes. It’s fun. These movies are a gift, and you have to really enjoy them in the process of it all.”
This Aspect of ‘Fountain of Youth’ Was a “Crazy Thing to Happen in Anybody’s Life”

The two were awestruck over the filming locations.

Image via Apple TV+

While Fountain of Youth takes its cast to some wildly fun and exciting locations, much of the film was shot on location, including its most pivotal scenes in the final act set among the pyramids of Giza.
“Well, being in Cairo,” González immediately says when asked about what the wildest moment on set was. Gleeson picks up the thought, adding how he felt humbled by the whole experience. “Yeah, more than even the stunts, just standing in between the actual pyramids, and it being your job to be there, is a crazy thing to happen in anybody’s life. We were lucky that it happened in ours.”
With practical effects and real-world sets that left an impression, González admits there were times she was simply awestruck by the whole thing. “Even when they were doing all the explosions of the cars and stuff,” González says, “I was like, ‘How are we getting away with this?’ It was amazing. It was really special.”
Fountain of Youth streams May 23 on Apple TV+.

Fountain of Youth

Release Date

May 23, 2025

Runtime

125 minutes

Writers

James Vanderbilt

Producers

Jake Myers, William Sherak, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, Tripp Vinson, Ivan Atkinson