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During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is Queen 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 found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was growing up, it used to come on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian 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 simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

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 during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on 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 your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … things that had happened 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 about the most by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the stew – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

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 you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio 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?

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a call sheet 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 really different approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle on set, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.