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During a revealing discussion, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is 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 you choose 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. It strikes me it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was growing up, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It is a masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you took away from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

What’s been your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting 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 … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character signified for 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 detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the stew – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed 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?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements 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 during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received?

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from setbacks than you learn from success. Success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.