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Through a thoughtful interview, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite 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. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware 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 regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. When you lose your place, by looking and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are really present then. It can be a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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 hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I go into great detail listing the components that made up the stew – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

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 Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

When I was in secondary school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.