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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is the monarch 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, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What’s the best lesson you took away from someone a colleague?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great way provided you are really present then. It can be a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time 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. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre 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 I experienced the least organized 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 really different. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening some champagne on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in secondary school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than you learn from success. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.