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

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent character portrays 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 you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained then was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you will find your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character 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 in those times.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, 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 think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like 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 I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear the next location the next day how we were going to do it. 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 some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.