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Through a thoughtful discussion, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

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 you choose and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position in some way. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great way provided you are fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were given your name from 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 named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Location

What’s the most 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 of my career, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then you’d 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, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received?

During my time in secondary 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 far more from failure than you learn from success. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.