🔗 Share this article

Through a thoughtful discussion, Miranda Otto opens up on subjects as varied as her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become 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 it be and why?

Straight away, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. When I was childhood, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best 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 portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, 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, performing live. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a really great direction provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

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

It’s not a single particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

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

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It’s become such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in 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, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that constituted the stew – as I recall what they did; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I attended a pilates class and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you 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 when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I do know who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

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

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at that location, and she thought sounded like a nice name.

Pandemonium on Location

What’s the most 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 emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept 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 at one's convenience. It was a novel 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 or the methodology. And then I would 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 during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Secret Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from setbacks than is gained from triumph. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. With failure, you learn so much more.