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In a candid interview, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall looking at 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, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged then. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character meant to 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 specific inquiry concerns always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail describing the components that constituted the stew – 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 great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a fitness session and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

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 I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or 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 a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, 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 easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.