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In a candid conversation, the acclaimed performer delves on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature 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 – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you will find your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It may become a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … 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 about the most by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, 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 think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. 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 intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne on set, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.