Eternity stars reveal they're already living in their idea of hell in the afterlife: "America right now"

David Freyne’s new film Eternity contemplates what heaven (or hell) might feel like if you had to spend an eternity there – and the options are endless.

Tired of living with men? 'Men Free World' is a good option. Ready to retreat into a stunning landscape? 'Mountain World' might be a good move for you. Always wanted to go to Paris? Well, how about you spend an eternity there?

The Irish writer-director imagines that death is not the end, as after your time in the real world is done, you arrive by a retro-fitted train to the afterlife where you meet your AC (afterlife consultant) who will help you choose how to spend your eternity.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early play Anna and Ryan, the ACs of Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) and Larry (Miles Teller). Instead of opting for eternal uptopian relaxation, Anna and Ryan have chosen to spend their afterlife in service of everyone else’s happy ever afterlives (if you will).

Joy Randolph has already thought about what afterlife she’d choose, if a system like the one in the retro-futuristic world of Eternity exists. "Just luxury," she told RadioTimes.com. "Not super lux, but like when you go on a really nice holiday and you’re like 'You know what? I did the research and I found a great hotel.' You know that feeling when you open the door to the hotel and you’re like, 'Yes.' I want a nice holiday."

Early is more influenced by the fact it’s already past lunchtime when we chat. "Mac and Cheese World," he responds. "But that's just because I'm starving right now. There's lots of different kinds of mac and cheese!"

Though he doesn’t tend to watch romcoms himself, Early does have one film he could watch for an eternity. "I just rewatched The Way We Were with my mom and seeing the way that it just worked on her, it was so sweet," he says, "She was like, by the end [wipes tear], we were both like [wipes tear]… I’d choose that maybe. I love that."

In the film, there are also many discontinued eternities that are either inherently problematic or just creepy and unpopular, such as 'Clown World', that would feel like hell if you had to experience them for ever more. For Joan, it’s 'Beach World', for Larry, it’s living for an eternity without Joan.

When asked what would be hell to them if they had to experience it for an eternity, Joy Randolph replied: "America right now."

"Yeah, we’re living in it," Early adds, exclaiming that an eternity where there is "no Mac and Cheese World, where it's banned" would also be far from ideal.

Meanwhile, what Olsen loved about the script was how it reinvented the idea of the afterlife through the modern lens of capitalism – as eternity is now something that has been packaged up and marketed to us.

"This idea of the afterlife presenting not really a spiritual option, but more consumerism and capitalism and trying to force people to buy into an idea or something, I just thought it was a really funny reflection back at what culture has become," she tells us.

"And because of it feeling so bleak in a way, it allowed for the relationships and what matters most to, in my opinion, really shine through. You can decorate whatever you need in your life to have the best version of this or that, but the only thing that really matters are the people you have these relationships with while you're alive and that is what I love most about the film."

Olsen and Teller had the fun challenge of playing eighty-something souls in thirty-something bodies, as Larry and Joan arrive at their eternity in the happiest version of themselves.

The actors took different approaches to crafting their character, with Teller being influenced by his grandma’s outlook as a young soul in an 85-year-old body.

"My grandma, she’s always considered herself a vampire of the youth," he says. "She does not like hanging out with old people, even though she's 85 herself. But when I've asked her questions about getting older, she says. 'Well, Miles, first of all, I remember when I was your age. I felt like I was your age yesterday and I also still feel like I am 35, and I wonder who this old person is looking back at me'.

"So, for her, even though she's been through some of life's most tragic of circumstances, she hasn't really aged. She's been – I imagine – that same personality long before I even got to know her. I was just excited with Larry to explore what that would feel like when he finally doesn't have the aches and pains and how exciting that would be, even though he's dead."

Meanwhile, Olsen dived into historical research to find touchstones within film and TV of what would have influenced Joan’s character to build out her old soul. She explains: "It was Shirley MacLaine films with Billy Wilder and things like that that were fun to watch and think about that woman being an aspirational type of woman for Joan in her life growing up. I really enjoy prep work because I think it helps just find ideas, even if they're not useful in some ways."

Eternity also breaks the mould of many romantic comedies with a compelling love triangle that moves away from a prescriptive idea of what love should and can be.

"I loved reading this script," Olsen says. "I felt very comforted by meeting Joan and Larry in their old age. It was something that to me is aspirational when it comes to romantic comedies — growing old with someone and that bickering and familiarity."

She added that she enjoyed that each love was "equally valid" in the film from a five-year crush to a 60-year-long marriage as "those experiences are so real and also so valid. They stay with you as well."

The romantic comedy also champions 'ordinary love' over fireworks and grand gestures, which Joy Randolph emphasised was important to see on-screen. "You don’t see that," she says. "I remember when I was younger and I used to watch romcoms, I used to make a little list in my brain and I was like, 'OK, who I date needs to do this based off of that movie'. Early on in my dating career, I was like, 'I'm disappointed because people don't do those things.'"

In each eternity, there’s an opportunity for people to revisit some old memories from their life on Earth in the archives. If that power existed in reality, Joy Randolph knows exactly which moment in her career she’d like to relive.

"Maybe High Fidelity and get that second season," Joy Randolph says, "I'm not playing, that was a blast. It's fun to film in New York in the summer. You just feel on fire."

Meanwhile, Early would return to one of the most ‘surreal’ moments of his career: "I have to say for me, when I did the Wet Hot American Summer reboot, that was one of my favourite movies growing up, and so it was really surreal.

"That's the weird thing about reboot culture. You literally get to enter into the whole thing that you loved. Wow."

Eternity is released in UK cinemas on Friday 5th December 2025.

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