Rolling out sat down with Fountain of Youth co-star Carmen Ejogo to talk about the film’s genre-blending adventure, working with Guy Ritchie, and what it’s like to shoot scenes in the shadows of the pyramids. A blend of humor, nostalgia, and real-life wonder, the conversation gave insight into what made this film a truly unforgettable experience.
What drew you to the Fountain of Youth script when you first read it?
What drew me to the Fountain of Youth script when I first read it was the fact that Guy Ritchie was directing it — that made a big difference. That’s always the number one criteria: who’s going to be directing? But what also stood out to me on the page was something nostalgic, a nod to the movies I grew up watching and still love. Big adventure films with romance, great comedy, and schtick — very much like the Indiana Jones movies from the ’80s. I saw that tone and thought, “I haven’t done this before, and I genuinely love this kind of stuff.” So I wanted to give it a go.
Did you create a backstory for your character that we don’t see on screen?
Not really. Some films don’t need it, and this was one of those. Laz [Alonso] and I play a sort of team in the film, so we did work out some basic questions for ourselves — what’s our relationship like, how close are we, how do we know each other? What do we really think of John Krasinski’s character and Natalie’s character, who we have history with? We dug into that a bit, but honestly, the way Guy works, you have to stay flexible. He’s very unorthodox. You might shoot a scene on Monday and suddenly the whole direction of Tuesday’s scene changes because of how things played out. He’s very instinctual, so you don’t want to cling too tightly to a fixed backstory. Chances are, you’ll have to rethink it anyway.
What age would Ejogo choose?
If you could build a real-life fountain of youth, what age would you choose to remain?
Ooh, that’s a good one. Can I be as old as possible but still look like I’m 40? That would be ideal for me. I feel like I’ll just keep getting wiser with age, so I wouldn’t want to stop now — there’s still so much to learn. But in terms of physical energy, yeah, I’d probably want to freeze time a little younger than I am now.
Were there any scenes that felt especially surreal or magical to film?
Being at the pyramids, for sure. That was inevitable. I grew up romanticizing what they were about — my imagination ran wild with what Egyptian civilization was all about. So to actually be in Cairo, in the sand, and film at the base of the pyramids? Mystical. Magical. That memory is going to stay with me forever.
What’s one behind-the-scenes moment that left a lasting impression or made you laugh?
Almost every day! The madness of the process was hilarious. We’d sometimes stop and go, “Wait, are we really about to film a scene that was literally just written five minutes ago?” It was crazy. Not how I normally work at all. But eventually, you just have to laugh and go with it. And thank God we did because Guy really sets a tone where nothing is too precious. That looseness actually makes the work better. There’s real method to the madness, and I’m so glad I got to experience that.
Three words to describe Fountain of Youth?
Adventure. Mystery. History.
Fountain of Youth is streaming now on Apple TV+
