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During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature 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?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you took away from someone you’ve worked with?

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 were playing as scene partners and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are really present then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened 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 inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; like they even 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 unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress 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 experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think 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?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, 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 a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

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 stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.