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Through a thoughtful interview, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent character portrays 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was growing up, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago 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 is a masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson 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 at the time we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned then was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are really present then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

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

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in 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? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail describing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I was at a pilates class and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. 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 felt intense awkwardness. 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 Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

What was the 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 final product emerged brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. 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 way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I probably would have worked in involving 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 came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.