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During a revealing interview, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays Queen 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 found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie 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 once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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 a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward 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 our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and look at the actors you’re with, you can rediscover 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. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … 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 in those times.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed question is always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as 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 possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I was at a fitness session and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for 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 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 stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name sounded like a nice name.

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 final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting 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? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from success. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.