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During a revealing interview, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you will find your correct position in some way. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

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

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn signified for them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and do you think 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 situation. And I provide great detail listing the components that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. 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 still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium 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 I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.