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Through a thoughtful interview, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite 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. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz 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 humor and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

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 opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and look at the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn 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 question is invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants 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 believe she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

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

I attended a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Chaos 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 least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in high school, someone 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 so much more from failure than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.