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During a revealing interview, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest role is Queen 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed 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 in that moment was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts 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 meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, 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? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Chaos 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 that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d 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 a bottle during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but goodness, 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 retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than you learn from success. Success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.