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During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature 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?

Straight away, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my childhood, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It’s such 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 an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best Lesson Gained Through 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 – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great direction if you’re really present then. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “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

Articles have confidently claimed 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?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium 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 most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. 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 rather open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice 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, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from success. Success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.