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In a candid discussion, 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.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent 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?

Without hesitation, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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 – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

Which questions 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 really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I go into great detail listing the components that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as they could.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated 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 definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear the next location the next day how we were going to do it. 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 on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. With success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.