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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent character portrays Queen 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, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot 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

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned then was, firstly, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the people you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help 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 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 everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, fascinated by the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

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

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense 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 rather open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know 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 was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

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” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.