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During a revealing interview, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing 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 repeatedly. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, always trust the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another 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 was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been 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 once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and the name seemed a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced 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 unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive 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 being assembled at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.