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Through a thoughtful discussion, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be 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, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing 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 simply chuckled and laughed. It is a masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It may become a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening 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, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I provide great detail describing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces 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.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source 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 clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location 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 a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.