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During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through 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 – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Co-Star

What’s the best 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 together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. When you lose your place, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way provided you are really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character signified for 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 detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves 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 what was in the pot, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide great detail describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

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

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. 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 so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting or the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening a bottle during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.