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During a revealing interview, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is 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 residing near a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing 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 comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Co-Star

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 as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help 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 her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, 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 comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I attended a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

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

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating 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 for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or finance.

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” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.