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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is 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?

Without hesitation, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character 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 some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have 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 definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

What was the 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 emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary 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 far more from failure than is gained from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.