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In a candid discussion, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest role is 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, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, 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 one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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 together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in 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 humour of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced 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 really different. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from success. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.