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Through a thoughtful discussion, the acclaimed performer opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes 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; if you could 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 individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and 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 attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees 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 signified for 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 inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide great detail describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck 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 you saying otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like math 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 stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.