🔗 Share this article

In a candid discussion, the acclaimed performer reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent character portrays Queen 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 – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Co-Star

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines 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 our performance took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present in that moment. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … 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 during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been 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 once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name seemed a nice name.

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 I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting or 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 opening some champagne on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from success. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.