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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s 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 just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character signified for them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew 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 pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating 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 opening a mall at that location, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different 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 caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.