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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

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 found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best 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 – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose your place, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most detailed question is always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton 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 run-in with a famous person?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be 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 when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall 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 least organized set of my career, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got 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 mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.