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Through a thoughtful interview, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is 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?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my childhood, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago 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 and laughed. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night 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 recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. When you lose your place, if you turn around and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

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

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

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a call sheet and you have to be 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 really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in secondary school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from success. Success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.