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During a revealing discussion, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes 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; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing 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 just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of humor and all the actors 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 regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. When you lose your place, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single particular interaction 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 … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

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

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. 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 was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium 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 that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes 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 was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, to start a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.