Eiza González Was ‘Nervous’ Around Fountain of Youth Costar Natalie Portman: ‘I’ve Been a Ginormous Fan’ (Exclusive)

Eiza González admits she was initially “nervous” around Natalie Portman while working on their new movie Fountain of Youth due to her admiration for the star.

Speaking with PEOPLE, González, 35, credits Portman, 43, with inspiring her to get into show business. “I’ve been a ginormous fan for my entire [life]… I literally wanted to be an actress thanks to her,” says the star of Netflix’s 3 Body Problem.

Asked if she confessed her admiration for Portman when they were on the set of the action-adventure movie, González says she didn’t need to.

“I think she could tell because I was really nervous talking to her,” she says. “I admire her. But not only as an actress, as an activist, a woman that speaks up for her rights, a woman that is a mother, a woman that has lived for many, many centuries in this industry, eons of experience, literally straight from Star Wars.”

Despite her jitters, González got along well with Portman, John Krasinski, 45, and the rest of the cast of the movie directed by Guy Ritchie.

“It felt like we’ve known each other forever. It was very instant. We had a really beautiful connection,” she continues, crediting Ritchie for the welcoming vibe: “When you have a director that really focuses on creating an environment, a safe space — it just really creates a family experience ultimately, especially when you’re filming for this long. This movie we shot for many, many months and traveled the world together, so you become quite close.”

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In the film, she plays Esme, an enigmatic and dangerous woman who is trying to stop siblings Charlotte and Luke Purdue (Portman and Krasinski) from finding the titular source of eternal life. The journey takes them all over the world, from Europe to Egypt. 

Esme’s efforts to thwart Charlotte and Luke leads to some intense fighting sequences, which required González to save her energy.

“You have to keep yourself warm, keep stretching in between takes, all these little nuances, not to drain your battery from the get-go, really know how to build it up,” she says.

“And being around John was very helpful because Mr. Jack Ryan himself, he has so much experience in that regard. And so, I was really looking up to him for guidance in this process, and he really held my hand through it. And he’s an amazing dance partner in this whole thing,” continues González.

Fountain of Youth streams on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 23.

For more on Eiza González, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE.