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In a candid interview, the acclaimed performer reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is the monarch 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and look at the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are really present in that moment. It may become a gift when things go completely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

What’s been your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific question is always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as they could.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What was your most embarrassing run-in with a famous person?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

When I was in high school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.