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During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent role is 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?

Without hesitation, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary 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 a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but at the time 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 of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust 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 is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present then. It may become a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

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

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted 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.

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

The most specific question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the stew – as I recall what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

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

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted 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. Then I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been repeatedly stated 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 definitively?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening 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 on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. 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 flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open some champagne on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us 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. With success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.