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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays Queen 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 Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

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 back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are really present then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most specific question is always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. 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 red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “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 Source of a Moniker

Articles have confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium 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 that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Given

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than is gained from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.