🔗 Share this article

In a candid interview, Miranda Otto delves on topics ranging from her newest character as Queen of the Cuttlefish to the invaluable wisdom gleaned from onstage mishaps and meeting admirers.

Given the Chance to Become a Sea Creature for a Day

Your latest character portrays Queen 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?

Without hesitation, the blue groper residing near a specific shoreline – because it’s like an institution, and individuals visit specifically to spot it. I just think as remarkable that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Staple to Revisit

What film do you repeatedly watch, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this picture. During my growing up, it used to come on the ABC occasionally, and once I videotaped it. I just thought it was hilarious. It stars the legendary Carole Lombard and comedian Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at the Ritz and I discovered that it was also the favourite film of an acquaintance, and so we went and just laughed repeatedly. It is a great piece of comedy and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks remade it in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But the original film is a brilliant comedy, to be watched regularly.

The Best Lesson Gained Through a Fellow Actor

What’s the best lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

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 during the premiere I stumbled – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I was unaware of my error but I abruptly sensed things were off. I remember 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 in that moment was, first, always trust the individuals you’re working with. If you don’t know where you are, if you turn around and toward the people sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It is a profoundly collaborative endeavor, acting on stage. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Occasionally when a mistake occurs, things actually spark off in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re fully engaged in that moment. It can be an unexpected boon when things go completely awry.

Memorable Interactions with Fans

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

It’s not just one specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I am told numerous accounts about how that character impacted them when they were younger … events that occurred in their lives and how much that character meant to them and was a form of support to them in those times.

Which questions get asked most frequently 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 has evolved into a running gag, the whole thing about the stew, and all fans wish to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think her skills improved now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? People are, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the components that made up the stew – as I recall what they did; such as put bits of red cotton to simulate the appearance like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed great detail to make it look as unappetizing as possible.

An Awkward Star Meeting

What was your most embarrassing run-in with a famous person?

I attended a fitness session and there was a woman lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Oh, Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made a lighthearted remark inquiring, “oh, are you a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and most of the time when I meet another Miranda, they work in media. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And as she rose, it was Miranda Richardson. Then I didn’t know words. I was obliged to stay and do my class, and I experienced so embarrassed. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I think her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source 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 you saying 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 seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

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 of my career, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But the local crew operated in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. In Australia, you receive a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was rather flexible – one would appear at one's convenience. It was a novel approach for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear the next location or the methodology. And then I would be in during a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that just interrupted the scene? Oh, it’s the producer popping open a bottle during filming, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but goodness, it’s a distinct 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 a lot of the time, I simply have a numerically-oriented mind. So I believe had I not pursued acting, I probably would have entered a field involving numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Guidance Given

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

During my time in secondary school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and stated, “don’t be afraid to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn so much more from failure than is gained from triumph. With success, one rarely comprehends exactly how it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.