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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature 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 it be and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian 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 is a masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

What’s been your most memorable 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 stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn signified for them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, 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, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name 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. At that point, I didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Set

What’s the most chaotic thing that’s ever happened on set?

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening a bottle during filming, to start 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 naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics 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 came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.