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Through a thoughtful conversation, the acclaimed performer reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature 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?

Straight away, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred 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 specific inquiry concerns always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook 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 go into great detail listing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, 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 I’ve read stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after 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’s the most chaotic thing that’s ever happened on set?

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you receive 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 novel approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from success. With success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.