🔗 Share this article

In a candid interview, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

Your latest role is the monarch 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, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. It strikes me it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It’s such great piece of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but at the time we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I was unaware of my error 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 went really, really well. But I think the insight gained then was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are really present then. It can be a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific question is always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I go into great detail describing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

What was your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck 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 settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at Miranda, and the name seemed 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 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 really different. Typically, you receive a call sheet and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear the next location the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but wow, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.