🔗 Share this article

During a revealing interview, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is Queen of the Cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; if you could be a fish for a day, which one would you choose and why?

Straight away, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that folks genuinely seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. When I was childhood, it would air on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I found it was hilarious. It stars Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It’s such masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t successful. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

The Best Insight Gained Through 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 together. We were playing opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and proceeded splendidly. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the people in your scene. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the people you’re with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive way provided you are fully engaged in that moment. It can be a gift when things go absolutely the wrong way.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

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

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

What do you get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed question is invariably regarding the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you believe she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, I think, obsessed with the comedy of that situation. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the components that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of red cotton to make it look like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as bad as they could.

An Awkward Star Encounter

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

I attended a pilates class and another participant on a mat exercising, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly identified her. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for words. I still had to complete my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. 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 Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was christened for a district in Sydney. Mum learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at that location, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film emerged brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – you come on set at one's convenience. It was a novel way of working for me. All aspects were all coming together at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was a crew member popping open some champagne on set, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words a lot of the time, I simply have that kind of a brain. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field something to do with numbers, like math or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in high school, someone came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains far more from failure than is gained from triumph. Success, one rarely comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are abundant.