During a revealing conversation, the acclaimed performer reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.
The most recent character portrays Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?
Without hesitation, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.
What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?
Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.
What is the most valuable lesson you took away 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 portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged then. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.
Can you describe your most touching interaction 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 how that character meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was a form of support to them during those periods.
What do you get asked about the most by Lord of the Rings fans?
The most specific question is invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, 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 humour of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the stew – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.
What was your most embarrassing run-in with a famous person?
I was at a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.
It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after 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 named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.
What was the chaotic thing that’s ever happened on set?
While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting or the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed 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 wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.
Do you have a secretly good at?
I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.
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