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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you took away from someone you’ve worked with?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed question is always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

What was the chaotic thing that’s ever happened on set?

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Ever Received

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received?

When I was in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.