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In a candid discussion, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character 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

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 found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, 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 remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you took away from someone a colleague?

Years ago I performed in 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 tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error 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 went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the actors you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way provided you are really present then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about how that character meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Source 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 settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

What’s the most 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 I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Given

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

When I was in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.