🔗 Share this article

Through a thoughtful conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest 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?

Straight away, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Co-Star

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 back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned in that moment was, firstly, always trust the individuals you’re working with. When you lose where you are, by looking and look at the people you’re with, you will find your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are fully engaged then. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

What’s been your most touching encounter with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, 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 that character 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’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Source 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 clarify this definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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 film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of 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.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

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