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During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was growing up, it would air on television 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 showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose your place, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

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 settle the matter once and for all?

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

Pandemonium on Location

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 most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.