🔗 Share this article

During a revealing discussion, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays 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?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually seek out and discuss – it holds a unique status.

A Film Favorite to Return To

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it used to come on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at the Ritz and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of a friend of mine, and so we attended and just laughed and laughed. It is a masterful work of comedy and all the actors in it are fantastic. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not successful. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

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 back then we were not a couple. We were playing opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead some dialogue in the script. I was unaware what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained then was, first, consistently rely on the people in your scene. If you don’t know your place, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a really great way provided you are fully engaged then. It can be a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I am told numerous stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which Eowyn signified for them and was some kind of help to them during those periods.

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

The most specific question is invariably regarding that infamous meal her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into a running gag, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know the contents of the pot, and how was it made, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I go into great detail listing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall what they did; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

An Awkward Celebrity Encounter

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

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat doing pilates, and the teacher remarked, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an uncommon moniker and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really identified her. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wanted to say: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to say anything.

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 you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you settle the matter definitively?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. My mother learned via broadcast that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and she thought 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 that was the least organized set of my career, and yet the final product turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept 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. The elements were all coming together at the final moment, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting the next day the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and wondering, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a distinct style of film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I likely might have entered a field something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in secondary school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and they said, “don’t be afraid to fail” … which I think is the best piece of advice, since one gains far more from setbacks than you learn from success. With success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, you learn so much more.