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Through a thoughtful discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish 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, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently 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 and laughed. It is a masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re really present then. It may become a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

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

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, 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.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the components that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.