🔗 Share this article

Through a thoughtful interview, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons learned through theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is the monarch 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. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Staple to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film 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 hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago 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 just laughed and laughed. It is a great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward 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 our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … things that had happened in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in 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, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Encounter

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another 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 stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been confidently claimed that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother heard on the radio that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at that location, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product emerged incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. Typically, you receive a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a really different approach for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, 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 during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I memorise words often, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I believe if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from success. With success, you never really comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.