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During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – 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 glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. When you lose your place, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees 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 … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it 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 another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source 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 stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

What was the chaotic thing that’s ever happened on set?

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, 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 be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.