🔗 Share this article

Through a thoughtful conversation, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

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?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

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. When I was childhood, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Co-Star

What’s the best 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 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 of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

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

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

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 christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I simply have 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 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 they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.