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In a candid discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature 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 you choose and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson 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 – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of 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 bad cook? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been 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 the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought 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 of my career, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. 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 must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open some champagne on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than is gained from success. With success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.