The actress Reveals Insights on Acting, Fandom, and Life's Gifts.

During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature 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 Queen 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, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – 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 go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – 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 glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and look at the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was a form of support to them in those times.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed question is always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic 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 unique. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from success. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.