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During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays 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 it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out 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 all the actors 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 regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you took away from someone you’ve worked with?

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 were playing as scene partners and during the premiere 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 recall glancing toward 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 then was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, 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 her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall what they did; such as put bits of red cotton 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 fitness session and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and the name 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 on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have 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 really different approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak as 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 setbacks than is gained from success. With success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.