🔗 Share this article

Through a thoughtful discussion, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

Your latest 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 Clovelly beach – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think it’s cool that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars the legendary 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 attended and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Insight Learned From a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then our performance regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained then was, firstly, always trust the people you’re working with. When you lose your place, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position in some way. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great direction if you’re really present in that moment. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

There isn't 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 meant to 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 a form of support to them during those periods.

What do you 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. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode about the stew, and everyone wants to know what was in the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Star Encounter

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

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is 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 wasn’t really identified her. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Name

It’s been repeatedly stated 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?

Indeed, I was christened for the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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

When I was working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set punctually. But this was rather open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and at times they wouldn’t know the next location or the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle on set, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Given

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker came to speak when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.