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In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be 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, the blue groper found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

Which questions 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 as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved 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 provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have 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 christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Location

What’s the most chaotic thing that’s ever happened on set?

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location the next day the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.