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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

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; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you took away from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail describing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin 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 you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, 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 during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math 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 as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than you learn from success. Success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.