🔗 Share this article

During a revealing interview, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays 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 it be and why?

Without hesitation, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. When I was childhood, it used to come on television every now and again, and once I recorded it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

The Best Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What’s the best lesson you took away 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 a couple. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and toward the actors sharing the stage with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a lighthearted attitude about it. Sometimes when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are fully engaged then. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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 stories about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn 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 specific inquiry concerns invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. They went to great detail to make it look as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing run-in with a famous person?

I was at a pilates class and another participant lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of who you are!” I think she’s so fabulous and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was christened for the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a mall at that location, and she thought seemed a nice name.

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 least organized set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the final product turned out brilliantly. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of flexible – 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 how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I learn dialogue often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not ended up in acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, someone addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from success. With success, you never really understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.