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

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent role is 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners 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 abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned then was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character 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 in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces 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.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete 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.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were given your name from 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 the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

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 turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening some champagne on set, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct 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 pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.