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During a revealing interview, Miranda Otto delves on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other 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 remember looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about how that character meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; such as put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated 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?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

What is the greatest 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” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.