Miranda Otto Shares Perspectives on Her Career, Fandom, and Unexpected Lessons.

In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish 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, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the people sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great way if you’re fully engaged then. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

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

I was at a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

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

Chaos on Set

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 that was 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 unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. 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 you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like math 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, someone addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.