The actress Shares Insights on Acting, Fandom, and Unexpected Gifts.

During a revealing interview, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish 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 it be and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was growing up, it used to come on television every now and again, 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 showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not 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 learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember 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, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose your place, by looking and look at the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

What’s been your most memorable interaction 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 stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character signified for 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 question is always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread 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 Star Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

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

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

What’s the most 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 final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in secondary school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.