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During a revealing discussion, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was 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 the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned 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 portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people 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 somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns 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 how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying 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 Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium 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 I experienced the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach 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 the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.