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During a revealing interview, Miranda Otto delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Fish for a Day

The most recent role is 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?

Without hesitation, the blue groper found at Clovelly beach – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. It strikes me as remarkable that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Return To

Which movie do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I love this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC every now and again, and once I videotaped it. I found it was so funny. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were playing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and simply chuckled and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is a brilliant comedy, to be watched often.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone you’ve worked with?

I was doing A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not together. We portrayed characters opposite each other and during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward a few lines in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I abruptly sensed something wasn’t right. I remember looking at 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, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and toward the actors you’re with, you can rediscover where you’re meant to be somehow. It’s such communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun about it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction provided you are fully engaged then. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

What’s been 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 hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn meant to them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

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

The most specific inquiry concerns 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 whole thing involving that dish, and all fans wish to know what was in 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, fascinated by the humour of that scene. And I go into lengthy descriptions describing the ingredients that made up the concoction – as I recall the efforts made; like they even adding pieces of red cotton to simulate the appearance like bits of veins in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most cringeworthy celebrity encounter?

I was at a fitness session and there was a woman on a mat exercising, and the instructor remarked, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an unusual name and often when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. 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 felt intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Oh my gosh, I am aware of your work!” I think her talent is immense and I was simply too awestruck to utter a syllable.

The Origin of a Moniker

It’s been confidently claimed that you were named after Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after the Sydney suburb. Mum heard on the radio that they were opening a shopping centre at that location, and the name seemed a pleasant choice.

Pandemonium on Location

What was the 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 emerged incredibly well. But they just work in such a different way. The sense of time there is really different. In Australia, you normally have a schedule and must arrive on set by a certain time. But this was rather open ended – one would appear at one's convenience. 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 caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Ah, it was the producer opening 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 Skill

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess good with numbers. I memorise numbers more readily than I learn dialogue often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I likely might have worked in involving numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Finest Piece of Advice Given

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

When I was in secondary school, a speaker addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than you learn from success. Success, you never really comprehends precisely why it happened. Failure, you learn abundant.