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Through a thoughtful discussion, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

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

Straight away, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned 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 were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as they could.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a fitness session 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, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes 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 disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member opening some champagne on set, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.