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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 profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become 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 it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there to see it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was growing up, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

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

I attended a fitness session and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been repeatedly stated 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 a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at that location, and the name seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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 unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach 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 the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been 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 think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from success. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.