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In a candid interview, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest 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, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you took away from someone you’ve worked with?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned then was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose your place, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are really present then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn 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 a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most specific question is invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I go into great detail describing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

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 least organized set of my career, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for 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 if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.