🔗 Share this article

In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit to see it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched 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 portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned then was, firstly, always trust the individuals in your scene. 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, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are really present in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed question is always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I go into great detail listing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; such as adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects 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 you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.