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Through a thoughtful interview, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish 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?

Straight away, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you took away 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 opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned then was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character impacted them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character 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 detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

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

Chaos on Location

What’s the most 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 I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then I would 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 during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.