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In a candid discussion, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent role is the monarch 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, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched 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 alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned then was, firstly, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts 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 detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the stew – as I recall the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be 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 identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have 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 once and for all?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name 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 for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Guidance Given

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.