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In a candid interview, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from 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 it be and why?

Straight away, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film 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 videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere 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 recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the people you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another 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 still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source 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 settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear 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 was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Given

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

When I was in high school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.