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In a candid interview, Miranda Otto delves on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest 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?

Straight away, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned then was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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 least organized set of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.