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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

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

Without hesitation, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – because it’s 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 Staple to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it would air on television occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing 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 and laughed. It’s such great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing 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 stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned then was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

What’s been your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific question is 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 involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the components that made up the stew – as I recall what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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 said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker 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 Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed that you were given your name from 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 learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and the name seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location 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 some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Best Guidance Ever Received

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received?

When I was 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 supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from failure than is gained from success. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.