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In a candid interview, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest 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, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you took away from someone you’ve worked with?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall 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 in your scene. If you don’t know your place, 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 communal thing, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about how that character 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 detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and another participant 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?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been 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?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne during filming, to start a party.” It turned out great, 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 more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.