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In a candid discussion, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it would air on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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 together. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

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

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn 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 her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode 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 humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as they could.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. 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 rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together 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 during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

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 had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.