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During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent role is Queen 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, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing 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 the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We were playing 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 abruptly sensed things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and look at the actors you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

What’s been your most touching interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character meant to 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 always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, fascinated by 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 simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as they could.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Chaos 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 I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

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 as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.