🔗 Share this article

During a revealing interview, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her latest role as a regal sea creature to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish 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, that particular fish residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s a local landmark, and people go there specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my childhood, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and one time I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It stars Carole Lombard and 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’s such great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are fantastic. 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.

The Best Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – now my spouse, but back then we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised things were off. I remember glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and went really, really well. But I think what I learned then was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. When you lose where you are, if you turn around and look at the actors you’re with, you can rediscover your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And secondly, to maintain a lighthearted attitude regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way provided you are really present then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions 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, especially female fans, I am told numerous accounts about how that character meant to them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to 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 detailed inquiry concerns always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Did that stew taste as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing involving that dish, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and its preparation method, and in your opinion her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that situation. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the components that made up the stew – because I remember what they did; such as adding pieces of colored thread to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as bad as they could.

An Awkward Celebrity Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the instructor said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I attempted a lighthearted remark about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I wasn’t really seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I was at a loss for what to say. I still had to stay and do my class, and I felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to say anything.

The Origin of a Name

Articles have confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet I’ve read stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium 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 final product emerged brilliantly. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a call sheet and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear 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 sometimes the plan was unclear the next location the next day how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and be like, “What was that noise that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer opening a bottle during filming, to start a party.” It turned out great, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Secret Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think if I hadn’t ended up in acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from setbacks than you learn from triumph. With success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. With failure, the lessons are so much more.