🔗 Share this article

During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become 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 you choose and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was hilarious. It’s 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 went and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and the entire cast 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, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, firstly, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character signified for them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? People are, I think, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I provide great detail describing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

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

I was at a pilates class and another participant lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed 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 settle the matter once and for all?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you receive a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. 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 the producer popping open a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in secondary school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.