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Through a thoughtful discussion, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – 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 go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It’s such great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember 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 in that moment was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such 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 really great direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

What’s been your most memorable interaction 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 accounts about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much 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 detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as bad as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think 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 I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense 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 rather flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from success. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.