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In a candid interview, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

What is the most valuable 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 together. We were playing as scene partners and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are fully engaged then. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which 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 detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, 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? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail listing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

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

I attended a pilates class and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. 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 felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

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

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled 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 caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.