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In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

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, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my childhood, it used to come on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall looking at 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 people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most touching interaction 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 impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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 most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.