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In a candid interview, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent character portrays the monarch 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to 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 invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I go into great detail describing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

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 clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and at times 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 wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.