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Through a thoughtful discussion, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays 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 Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such great piece of comedy 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, to be watched regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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 back then we were not together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, 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 really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character impacted 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 during those periods.

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

The most specific question is invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

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

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

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 settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium 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 most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.