The actress Shares Insights on Acting, Fandom, and Life's Lessons.

Through a thoughtful conversation, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays Queen 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, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We were playing as scene partners 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 things were off. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned then was, firstly, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re really present then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often 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. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck 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 settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at that location, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words 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 likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us 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 setbacks than you learn from success. With success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.