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During a revealing discussion, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps 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; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was childhood, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It’s such great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters 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 suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the people sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn 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 detailed question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into great detail listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. 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: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin 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 you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre 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?

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. 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 by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to 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 that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.