🔗 Share this article

In a candid interview, Miranda Otto reflects on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Fish 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 you choose and why?

Without hesitation, that particular fish residing near Clovelly beach – since it is a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me 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 Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I love this film. During my childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such great piece of humor and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched often.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

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

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I recall glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think the insight gained 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 people you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great way if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Heartening Exchanges with Fans

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

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character 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 always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode about the stew, and all fans wish to know what was in the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? People are, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the components that constituted the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as they could.

An Awkward Star Meeting

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

I was at a pilates class and another participant lying down exercising, and the teacher remarked, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark about, “might you be a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed 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 settle the matter definitively?

Yes – I was christened for a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Set

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 I experienced the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in such a different way. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a call sheet and must arrive 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 really different way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day 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 the producer popping open some champagne during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I’ve just got that kind of a brain. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like math or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … which I think is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from setbacks than is gained from success. With success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. With failure, you learn abundant.