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In a candid discussion, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. 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 went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor 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 an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific question is always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as bad as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at that location, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening a bottle on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words 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 accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.