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In a candid interview, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there 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 Cinematic Staple to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you took away from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, by looking and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It’s such communal thing, performing live. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

What’s been your most memorable interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, 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, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that made up the stew – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as they could.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin 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 you saying otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, 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 on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would 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, someone came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.