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In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and people go there to see 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 Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you took away from someone you’ve worked with?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the people in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the people you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I provide great detail describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, 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 seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress 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 wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – 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 they wouldn’t know the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from setbacks than you learn from success. With success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.