🔗 Share this article

In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from theatrical mistakes and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

The most recent 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 a local landmark, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. During my childhood, it would air on television every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian 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 attended and just laughed and laughed. It’s such great piece of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, to be watched regularly.

A Priceless Insight Gained Through a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you took away 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 suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I remember glancing toward him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think what I learned in that moment was, firstly, consistently rely on the individuals in your scene. If you don’t know your place, if you turn around and toward the people you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a really great way provided you are really present then. It can be a gift when things go completely the wrong way.

Memorable Exchanges with Fans

Can you describe 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 hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to 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 question is always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew really that bad?” It has evolved into such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and everyone wants to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. They went to extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star Meeting

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

I was at a fitness session and another participant lying down exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Oh, Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name 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 didn’t know words. I still had to complete my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” 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 named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned you saying otherwise – can you settle the matter once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic 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 unique. Typically, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and be like, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne on set, 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 an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers more readily than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Ever Received

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, because you learn far more from failure than is gained from success. With success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.