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During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent character portrays 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 residing near Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall 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 then was, firstly, always trust the individuals you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great way if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about how that character meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help 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. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated 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 once and for all?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.