The actress Discusses Perspectives on Her Career, Fandom, and Life's Lessons.

Through a thoughtful conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest character portrays Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it would air on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn 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 question is always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Source of a Name

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

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

What was the 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 brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense 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 sort of open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, 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 the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.