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In a candid interview, the acclaimed performer reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish 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, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and people go there to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing 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 a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall 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, first, consistently rely on the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Source of a Moniker

Articles have 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?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and the name sounded like 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 I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a schedule and you have to be 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 all coming together at the very last minute, 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 during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Given

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.