🔗 Share this article

During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent 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 you choose and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue 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 the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose your place, if you turn around and look at the people sharing the stage with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are fully engaged in that moment. 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?

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous stories about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, I think, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I go into great detail listing the components that constituted the stew – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as unappetizing as they could.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Source of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you clarify this definitively?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Chaos on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes 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? Ah, it was a crew member opening a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics 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 the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from setbacks than is gained from success. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.