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Through a thoughtful interview, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish 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?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC 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 showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think 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 actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character signified for them and was some kind of help 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 her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker 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 was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated 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 once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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 I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in secondary school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than is gained from success. With success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.