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In a candid interview, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays 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 found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It is a great piece of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, 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 glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character signified for them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as 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 bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated 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 clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum learned via broadcast 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?

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member opening some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, 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 learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than is gained from triumph. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.