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Through a thoughtful conversation, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars 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 a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Co-Star

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 – now my spouse, but back then 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 what I’d done but I suddenly realised 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 what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great way provided you are really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. 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 utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location the next day 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 popping open some champagne on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than is gained from success. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.