Is Fountain of Youth a True Story? Are Luke and Charlotte Purdue Based on Real People?

Apple TV+’s action adventure film, ‘Fountain of Youth,’ stars John Krasinski and Natalie Portman in the roles of Luke and Charlotte Purdue, who embark on a quest to find the infamous Fountain of Youth. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film takes the characters on a globe-trotting journey where they have to steal priceless artefacts, fight ruthless mercenaries, and crack centuries-old puzzles to figure out the location of the mystical Fountain. Despite the fantastical nature of the story, there is a sense of realism brought forth by the chemistry between the actors and the way the film has been made to feel as true to life as possible.

The Fictional Purdue Siblings Embark on the Quest for the Mythical Fountain of Youth

‘Fountain of Youth’ is a fictional story written by James Vanderbilt. It circles around the myth of the eponymous fountain, which is believed to give eternal youth, among other things, to whoever drinks from it. The stories surrounding the Fountain have existed since time immemorial and, as presented in the movie, are found to be in almost all cultures throughout the world in different forms. Over the centuries, this myth has morphed based on where the stories are coming from, and the idea of the Fountain itself has evolved in all sorts of ways. Vanderbilt and Guy Ritchie play with these ideas to deliver an action-fuelled adventure film. They used real-life people and events, like the paintings of Rembrandt and the Wicked Bible, to name a few, to add more legitimacy to the search for the Fountain.

While the Fountain of Youth remains nothing but a story and the Purdue siblings who chase after it are completely made-up, Ritchie did not want the film to feel unreal to the audience. He wanted to ground the characters in reality, but he also knew that the locations would play an important role as well. So, he made sure that the production didn’t rely on green screens too much and opted to film on real locations and elaborately designed sets, including the inside of the pyramid and the shipwreck, to get a realistic look for the story. The cast moved from Bangkok to Liverpool, and Vienna to Cairo to film various scenes.

The Actors Trained Hard to Make the Action Sequences Realistic

The actors had to prepare for the intense fight scenes, which are one of the highlights of the film. A lot of the action was focused on John Krasinski and Eiza González, and both actors rose to the occasion and performed most of their stunts themselves. González revealed that the actions in different cities were tailored according to the vibe of the place, so she went from doing combat, muay thai, and stick fighting in Thailand to having a more graceful and dance-like fight scene choreographed for the Vienna Library. Despite the challenges they faced during the filming, the actors thoroughly enjoyed the process, and they hope that this translates into the viewing experience of the audience.

Talking about the themes of the film, Natalie Portman noted that the film taps into the desire for being youthful, which doesn’t necessarily mean drinking from the Fountain, but finding one’s flair again. Her character goes through an arc where she taps into her wild nature and her sense of adventure, something that she thought she was disconnected from. She and the rest of the cast and crew hoped that the film would serve that sense of adventure to the audience, where they are given some food for thought while also being entertained through and through.