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Through a thoughtful interview, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is 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, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz 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 the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through 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 – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re really present then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction 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 how much 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 specific question is invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail describing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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 I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of 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 final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess 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 think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

During my time in secondary school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.