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In a candid interview, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there to see it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you took away from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. When you lose your place, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

What do you get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific question is invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail describing the components that made up the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I still had to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. 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 by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear 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 caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. With success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.