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In a candid discussion, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know 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 our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. When you lose your place, if you turn around 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 next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I provide great detail describing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as bad as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be 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 identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

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

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes 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 be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than you learn from success. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.