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In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent 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, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – 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 seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, 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 did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such 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 way if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted 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 most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces 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 they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

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

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin 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 stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne on set, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

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

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “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 success. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.