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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps 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; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe the insight gained in that moment was, first, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most specific question is always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

What was your most embarrassing run-in with a famous person?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced 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 unique. Typically, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever received?

When I was in high school, someone came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.