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During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is Queen 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?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and people go there to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you learned 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 on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific question is always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels 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 another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept 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 flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than is gained from triumph. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.