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Through a thoughtful interview, the acclaimed performer reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is Queen 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting 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 how much that character meant to 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 always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, 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, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; such as put bits of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What’s been 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, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought seemed 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 least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – 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 final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from success. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.