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Through a thoughtful conversation, Miranda Otto delves on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is 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 it be and why?

Straight away, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on television occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue 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 proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, 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 then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

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

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most detailed question is always about 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 about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

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

I was at a fitness session and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

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?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, someone 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 so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.