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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent role is 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?

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 there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and one time 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 I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

The Best Lesson 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 with Pete – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and how much that character signified for them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific question is always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” 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 how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Moniker

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

During my time in secondary school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.