The actress Shares Insights on Her Career, Devoted Fans, and Life's Lessons.

During a revealing discussion, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent character portrays 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 you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my childhood, it would air on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It’s such great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single specific meeting 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 younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

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

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, 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 I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged 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 you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.