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Through a thoughtful discussion, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and people go there to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing 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 jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose your place, by looking and look at the actors you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction if you’re really present then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn impacted 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 in those times.

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

The most detailed question is always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the components that made up the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most embarrassing run-in with a famous person?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, 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 am aware of who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Moniker

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

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

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but goodness, 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 memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.