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During a revealing discussion, Miranda Otto delves on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish 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 you choose and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such great piece of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained then was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are really present then. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember what they did; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck 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 you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic 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. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together 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 I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out 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 memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.