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In a candid discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest 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, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, 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 every now and again, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose your place, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

What do you get asked about the most by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed question is always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that made up the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

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

I attended a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, 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 so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have 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 christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and the name seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium 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 I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting or the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from success. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.