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Through a thoughtful conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and people go there to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn signified for them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed question is always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What was your most embarrassing run-in with a famous person?

I attended a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. 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 confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, 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 on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working 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 how we were going to do it. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.