What role does Natalie Portman play in the Fountain of Youth? Character explored

Natalie Portman's most recent film appearance was in the Fountain of Youth, a heist-action film released on May 23, 2025, on Apple TV+. Guy Ritchie has directed the film from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt. David Ellison, Tripp Vinson, Dana Goldberg, William Sherak, Don Granger, Jake Myers, Ivan Atkinson, and Ritchie serve as the film's producers.

John Krasinski leads the film's cast as Luke Purdue, while Natalie Portman plays his younger sister Charlotte Purdue, who helps him search for the mysterious Fountain of Youth. Stanley Tucci, Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, and Carmen Ejogo round out the film's supporting cast.

The official synopsis of Fountain of Youth, as per Apple TV+, reads:

"A treasure-hunting mastermind (John Krasinski) assembles a team for a life-changing adventure. But to outwit and outrun threats at every turn, he'll need someone even smarter than he is: his estranged sister (Natalie Portman)."

Natalie Portman and John Krasinski go on a wild, treasure-hunting adventure

In Fountain of Youth, Natalie Portman's character, Charlotte Purdue, is a museum curator who reluctantly joins her estranged brother Luke's hunt for the self-titled hidden treasure. Luke, a seasoned archeologist, embarks on the mission at the behest of the wealthy corporate raider, Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson).

Joining them on the adventure are Patrick Murphy (Laz Alonso), Deb McCall (Carmen Ejogo), and Charlotte's teenage son, Thomas (Benjamin Chivers). The duo goes through their late father's work, as he was a treasure hunter, and learn that the Fountain was hidden by a secret society called the 'Protectors of the Path' and that six historic paintings carry clues to its mysterious location.

Charlotte, Luke, and their team follow the clues hidden in Rembrandt's 17th-century painting of the Head of Christ and the Wicked Bible to discover that the Fountain is located inside the Great Pyramid of Giza. Luke's team unlocks the secret passage to the Fountain, with Esme (Eiza González), a member of the Fountain, and Inspector Jamal Abbas (Arian Moayed) hot on their heels.

To confirm that the Fountain indeed has magical powers, Owen shoots Luke in the arm. The Fountain promises Luke eternal life in exchange for the lives of his loved ones, Charlotte and Thomas. Luke refuses to drink the water and gets healed, as he unknowingly passes the test.

On the other hand, Owen drinks from the water, hoping to become immortal. But, since the only person he loves is himself, Owen starts losing his life force and begins to age rapidly before Esme arrives and locks him inside the Fountain to die.

Also read: Where was Fountain of Youth filmed? All filming locations explored

A look at Natalie Portman's outstanding career

Natalie Portman is an actress, director, and producer. She made her acting debut at age 12 in Luc Besson's 1994 thriller film Léon: The Professional, where she starred alongside veteran actors like Gary Oldman and Jean Reno.

From 1999 to 2005, she played Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. During this time, Natalie Portman enrolled at Harvard University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2003.

The next year, she received widespread praise for her performance as the stripper Alice Ayres / Jane Jones in Mike Nichols' romantic drama Closer, starring Hollywood A-listers like Julia Roberts, Jude Law, and Clive Owen. Natalie was awarded the Golden Globe for 'Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture,' among other awards, for her performance.

She went on to star as Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta, Sara in Cold Mountain, Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl, and Francine in Paris, je t'aime. Natalie also appeared as Thor's love interest, Jane Foster, in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Love and Thunder.

In 2011, she won the Academy Award for 'Best Actress' for her portrayal of the troubled ballerina Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky's psychological drama, Black Swan. She also essayed the role of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 2016's biographical drama Jackie, and earned the third Oscar nomination of her career.

Furthermore, the 44-year-old actress made her directorial debut and wrote the screenplay for the biographical drama A Tale of Love and Darkness in 2015.

Viewers can watch Fountain of Youth exclusively on Apple TV+.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by Riya Peter