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During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore 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 stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised 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 individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … 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 most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, 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 felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos 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 I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear the next location the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Best Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than you learn from success. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.