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In a candid discussion, Miranda Otto delves on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest 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?

Straight away, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out 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 all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. When you lose your place, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

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

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … 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.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. 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 so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

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 clarify this definitively?

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

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be 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 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 or the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a 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 pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than you learn from success. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.