Australian actress Miranda Otto’s most recognizable role is probably as Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), but she has also been in a number of historical
Emma’s War (1987)
Set during World War II, Miranda Otto plays a young girl caught up in the drama playing closer to home in Australia.
Heroes II: The Return (1991)
Of course this is a photo of Miranda Otto as Eowyn, and not from the film in question. That’s because I couldn’t find any photos of her in the film (or really, any photos of all from the film, period), and what I could find looked muddy and uninteresting costume-wise. Therefore, this photo of her looking luminous has been substituted.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Another World War II film, and one that I had forgotten was actually made … I read the book in high school, which of course meant watching the 1964 film as well. I don’t remember hating it, so maybe I’ll get around to watching this version sometime.
The Jack Bull (1999)
This movie looks like a hot mess. But it has John Cusack and Miranda Otto in it, so I might just watch it anyway.
The Way We Live Now (2001)
The costumes were designed by Andrea Galer and look really good, so if watching shows about tortured rich people in the 1800s is your jam, definitely check this out!
The Three-Legged Fox (2004)
An Italian film about a destitute boy’s fantasy of befriending a glamorous movie star. I almost didn’t recognize Miranda Otto in the stills from this film! LOVE her look!
South Solitary (2010)
Fun fact: actor Barry Otto is Miranda’s father, but in this film he plays her character’s uncle, who is the new Head Lighthouse Keeper on South Solitary Island. Set in the 1920s.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Cocaine Blues (2012)
Miranda Otto plays Lydia Andrews, the grieving widow of a philanthropist in the first Miss Fisher episode. There is always more than meets the eye with Miss Fisher, however…
Reaching for the Moon (2013)
A dramatization of the love story between American poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares. Set between 1951 and 1967, it looks gorgeous. No idea why we haven’t covered it yet in it’s own post.
The Homesman (2014)
I’m of two minds about this film. On the one hand, it is incredibly bleak. On the other, the lives of women in the “Old West” were probably pretty fucking miserable. This film flopped, despite the star power of Miranda Otto, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, and Tommy Lee Jones, due in large part to the utterly desperate circumstances the characters in the film endured.
The Chaperone (2018)
The screenplay is by Julian Fellowes, so I legit thought for a moment that this was an episode of Downton Abbey that I’d missed when I first went to look up images from the film. The film is set in the 1920s, focusing on Norma Carlisle (played by Fellowes’ fave Elizabeth McGovern), who is a chaperone for the future superstar Louise Brooks. Miranda Otto plays modern dance pioneer, Ruth St. Denis.
Do you have a favorite frock flick starring Miranda Otto? Share it with us in the comments!
Love the Chaperone; I wasn’t sure about Haley Lu Richardson who plays Louise Brooks since I’d only seen her in modern-set films before (and she has a very modern face in my opinion) but she was a fun foil to McGovern’s more staid and reserved character. And the costumes are gorgeous.
The Way We Live Now is my 2nd favourite. My Favourite is the Lord of the Rings. Her Eowyn is how I always pictured The Shield-Maid of Rohan.
Love “The Way We Live Now” ! One of my favorites. Shirley Henderson and Matthew Macfadyen are excellent in it as well.
I didn’t recognize her in “Cocaine Blues.” Learned something new today.
I saw that Miss Fisher episode, and totally failed to recognize Miranda.
I haven’t seen much of her outside of LOTR, but she is in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as one of the aunts, and I really enjoyed her character. Not a frock flick, but kind of ambiguous on aesthetics and style with some things actually looking a bit period-piecey or throwback to me.
The Chaperone was quite good. I was happy how they didn’t it, having previously read the book.
I do, indeed, enjoy watching tortured rich people in the 1800s.
The Way We Live Now is indeed wonderful, but Miranda Otto’s “southern” accent leaves a lot to be desired!
I didn’t realize that was Miranda Otto in The Chaperone – a lovely little movie and I remember really liking the way she played the dance instructor.