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During a revealing conversation, Miranda Otto opens up on topics ranging from her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest character portrays 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 – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Staple to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing 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 during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know 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 took off again and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained then was, first, always trust the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It may become a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

It’s not a single specific meeting but when I encounter devotees 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 how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

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

The most detailed question is invariably regarding 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 all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and its preparation method, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, I think, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the components that made up the concoction – as I recall what they did; such as adding pieces of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I didn’t know words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

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 you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product emerged brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then I would be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member opening a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe 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 Ever Received

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.