🔗 Share this article

In a candid conversation, Miranda Otto delves on topics ranging from her latest role as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom learned through onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest role is 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?

Straight away, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that a resident aquatic creature that people actually seek out and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

Which movie do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it would air on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was the preferred movie of an acquaintance, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It’s such masterful work of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing often.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Fellow Actor

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House with Pete – now my spouse, but back then we were not a couple. We portrayed characters as scene partners and on opening night I stumbled – I jumped ahead a few lines in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember looking at him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene took off again and proceeded splendidly. But I think the insight gained in that moment was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know your place, by looking and look at the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged then. It may become an unexpected boon when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Interactions with Fans

Can you describe your most memorable encounter with a fan?

There isn't just one specific meeting but when I encounter devotees of Lord of the Rings, especially female fans, I hear a lot of accounts about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was a form of support 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’s become such a joke, the entire episode involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in the pot, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a poor chef? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the humour of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the stew – because I remember the efforts made; such as put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

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 instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s 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. At that point, I didn’t know what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I felt so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I do know who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

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 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 shopping centre at Miranda, and she thought sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Location

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

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon that was the most chaotic set I’ve ever worked on, and yet the film turned out brilliantly. But they just work in a distinct manner. The sense of time there is unique. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set punctually. But this was sort of flexible – one would appear whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the very last minute, and sometimes they wouldn’t know where they were shooting or the methodology. And then you’d be in during a scene and be like, “What was that noise that disturbed the scene? Oh, it’s a crew member popping open some champagne during filming, to start a party.” The result was great, but wow, it’s a distinct approach to film-making.

A Secret Talent

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily 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 worked in involving numbers, like math or accounting.

The Finest Guidance Ever Received

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

When I was in high school, a speaker addressed us as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, since one gains so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.