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Through a thoughtful conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest 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 found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, 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. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It is a masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, by looking and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great way if you’re really present then. It may become a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

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

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to 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 specific question is always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. 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 clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. 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 the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.