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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish 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?

Without hesitation, that particular fish found at a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was growing up, it used to come on television occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It’s such great piece of humor and all the actors in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but at the time we were not a couple. 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 what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the people you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way if you’re fully engaged then. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which 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 detailed inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Star Encounter

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know what to say. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

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 stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and she thought sounded like 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 I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the very last minute, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting or the methodology. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle during filming, to start a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Hidden 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 simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in high school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.