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Through a thoughtful conversation, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps 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; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and people go there to see it. It strikes me it’s cool 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

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

The Best Insight Learned From 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 – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue 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 completely saved me, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, consistently rely on the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re fully engaged then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character signified for them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed 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 involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in 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? People are, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin 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 stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes 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 caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne on set, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.