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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 gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be 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 found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and during the premiere 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 our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. 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, if you turn around and look at the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

What’s been your most touching 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 hear a lot of accounts about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character 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 question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, 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 humour of that situation. And I provide great detail describing the components that constituted the stew – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

What’s the most 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 turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. 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 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 be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

What is the greatest 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” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.