While "The Fountain" didn't mark the first time that actress Rachel Weisz pretended to have a romance with a handsome leading man on-screen, the film was a watershed moment for the Oscar-winning actress nonetheless.

That's because it was a screen romance that happened under the direction of her fiance, Darren Aronofsky. But for the most part, the British actress said that pretending to love another man wasn't all that difficult, since it was for the sake of art and cinema.

"I make believe in all sorts of ways for the film," Weisz told me in a recent @ The Movies interview. "I make believe I'm American and I make believe that we're in Pennsylvania. Make believing that I have a husband called Tom was just one more thing."

But just because her actions on screen are make believe doesn't mean she can't have amusing thoughts in real life. You have to remember, that "thing" is the dashing Hugh Jackman.

"He is pretty hot, that Hugh is," Weisz added with a laugh.

Aronofsky has no reason to feel threatened by Weisz's playful words.

After all, the acclaimed "Pi" and "Requiem For a Dream" filmmaker was one of the people who created Jackman's character for the dramatic sci-fi odyssey in the first place.

Spanning over a 1,000-year time period, "The Fountain" tells three parallel stories as one man (Jackman) struggles to save the woman (Weisz) he loves.

In 16th century Spain, the conquistador Tomas is dispatched by Queen Isabel to find the Tree of Life, a Fountain of Youth that will assure him immortality. In the 21st century, a scientist, Tommy Creo, desperately searches for a cure for Izzy, his dying wife.

And finally, in 26th century, Tom, an astronaut, embarks on a journey that will help him grasp the mysteries of love, life and death that have confounded him for a millennium.

Also starring Ellen Burstyn, "The Fountain" opens Wednesday in theaters nationwide.

Tapping Into 'The Fountain'
Aronofsky sketched out the concept of "The Fountain" in 1999, which originally was to star Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. But when Pitt left the production in 2002, the production fell apart. The filmmaker revived the film in 2004, and eventually cast Jackman and Weisz in the leads.

Aronofsky was certainly familiar with Weisz, having dated the "About a Boy" and "Mummy" film star since 2001. The exciting thing is, Weisz said, the dynamic of their relationship changed and became richer in working together for the first time on "The Fountain."

"I got to meet the director and he got to meet the actress -- they are two very different parts of our personalities," Weisz said. "It was a great collaboration. He's an incredibly talented director so I was very happy that I got the chance to work with him. It's made our personal life ever better because I got to know a whole different part of him."

Like Aronofsky's previous films, "The Fountain" transcends genres and has a feel all its own. It's part period and part drama, but also part science fiction.

But through it all is the constant of sweeping romance and passion, which is the sort of narrative element that Weisz loves the most about "The Fountain." And while the settings are diverse and sometimes fantastical in nature, and the dilemmas some characters face are complex, the message is not at all complicated, Weisz said.

"I think it's a celebration of love and a celebration of life -- that life is finite and short, and we have to seize the day, smell the roses, make each moment count and be with our loved ones as much as we can," Weisz said. "I think the movie is what cinema is for. It's an experience. It's like a magic carpet ride that you go on yet it reminds you how to celebrate the really simple things in life."

The release of "The Fountain" will no doubt be a continuation of a celebration of an eventful year in lives of Weisz and Aronofsky. It was preceded by the birth of their first child, a boy, in June, and the Weisz's Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress for "The Constant Gardener" in March.

Despite the big win, Weisz told me that she intends on keeping her career decisions, like life, simple. The key to her career choices will be as they always have been: to go with her gut and take chances, even though some of those chances will end up in failure.

"You have to tell the stories that you feel drawn to and feel passionate about," Weisz said. "You can't avoid making a bad film. You just never know how a film is going to turn out. It's alchemy and that's the great thing about it. It's very mysterious how a good film comes together or how one doesn't."