Miranda Otto Discusses Insights on Her Career, Fandom, and Unexpected Gifts.

During a revealing interview, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent character portrays 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 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 seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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 – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn 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 specific inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish 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 poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been 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 once and for all?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, 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 most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled 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 during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle on set, to start a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. With success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.