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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian 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 attended and just laughed and laughed. It is a masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best 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 a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know 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, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great way if you’re really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, 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 that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved 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 great detail describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy run-in with a famous person?

I was at a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, 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 wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider her talent is immense 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 you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.