🔗 Share this article

In a candid interview, Miranda Otto reflects on topics ranging from her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons learned through onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

If You Could Be a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays 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 it’s cool that there’s a local fish that folks genuinely go and see and discuss – it’s a special fish.

A Film Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

The 1942 film To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was childhood, it would air on television occasionally, and once I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Recently they were showing it at a cinema and it turned out that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed and laughed. It is a great piece of comedy and the entire cast in it are superb. Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – which was not as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Gained Through a Co-Star

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

Years ago I performed in A Doll’s House alongside Peter O’Brien – my husband now, but at the time we were not a couple. We portrayed characters opposite each other and on opening night I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know what I’d done but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall looking at him, and he expertly rescued the moment, and then our performance regained momentum and went really, really well. But I think what I learned then was, first, consistently rely on the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the actors you’re with, you will find where you’re meant to be somehow. It is a profoundly communal thing, acting on stage. And next, just to have a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when something goes wrong, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive way if you’re really present in that moment. It can be a gift when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Admirers

Can you describe your most touching encounter with a fan?

It’s not just one particular interaction but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about what Eowyn impacted them when they were growing up … events that occurred in their lives and the extent to which that character meant to them and was some kind of help to them in those times.

Which questions get asked about the most by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most specific question is always about the stew her character prepares for Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It’s become a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and in your opinion she’s a better cook now, or do you believe she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, obsessed with the comedy of that scene. And I provide lengthy descriptions listing the ingredients that made up the stew – as I recall the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. They went to extreme measures to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

A Cringeworthy Star 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 instructor said to me, “Hello Miranda, meet Miranda.” And I attempted some joke about, “oh, are you a journalist?” Since Miranda is an uncommon moniker and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly identified her. And as she rose, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know 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 am aware of who you are!” I consider she’s so fabulous and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Name

Articles have repeatedly stated 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?

Yes – I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother learned via broadcast that they were inaugurating a shopping centre at Miranda, and the name sounded like a pleasant choice.

Chaos on Set

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

While working in Brazil on Reaching for the Moon I experienced the most chaotic set of my career, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. The sense 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 whenever you happen to be ready. It was a really different way of working for me. The elements were all coming together at the very last minute, and sometimes the plan was unclear 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 a crew member popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” The result was excellent, but goodness, it’s a really different approach to film-making.

A Hidden Skill

What are you secretly good at?

I’ve always been an aptitude for numbers. I retain numbers easier than I memorise words often, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not pursued acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or finance.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

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

During my time in secondary school, someone addressed us when we were graduating and stated, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is supremely valuable counsel, since one gains so much more from failure than is gained from success. Success, one rarely understand exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are abundant.