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In a candid interview, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

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 you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s 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 attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What’s the best 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 some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time 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 was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

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

Chaos on Location

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 of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be 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 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 the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

What is the greatest 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” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from failure than is gained from success. With success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.