The actress Discusses Perspectives on Acting, Devoted Fans, and Unexpected Lessons.

Through a thoughtful interview, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. 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’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines 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 our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the people in your scene. When you lose your place, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

What’s been your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most specific question is always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants 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 think she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail listing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Source of a Name

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

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. 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 rather open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Guidance Given

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.