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Through a thoughtful interview, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It’s such great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for 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 specific question is invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish 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? People are, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker 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. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

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 I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess 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 something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.