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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 meeting admirers.

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, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on television occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such masterful work 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, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you took away from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. When you lose your place, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

What’s been your most memorable encounter 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 accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character 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 question is always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, 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 believe she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – as I recall what they did; such as put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and the name sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

What’s the most 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 of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear the next location or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like math 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 when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.