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During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature 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 it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re really present then. It may become a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, 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 some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – 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 at times the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct 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 often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.