The actress Discusses Perspectives on Her Career, Devoted Fans, and Unexpected Gifts.

During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature 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 it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way provided you are really present in that moment. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character 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 inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the components that constituted 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. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

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

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, 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 be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than is gained from triumph. With success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.