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In a candid discussion, 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

The most recent 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?

Without hesitation, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. 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 wonderfully positive way provided you are fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for 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 that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I consider her talent is immense 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 clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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 I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes 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 was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.