Miranda Otto burns bright in her return to the small screen

Miranda Otto admits she was frightened before taking up the role as dairy farmer Kath in the ABC drama series FIRES.

That is unusual for an actor as experienced as Otto, but this role is like no other.

FIRES is a six-part anthology drama series that examines the terrible impact of the devastating bushfires across Australia that started in November 2019 and burned for months.

While bushfires are sadly part of Australia’s way of life, they have rarely been depicted on the screen – big or small.

In FIRES, the home of Otto’s character Kath and her husband Duncan is devastated by fires in Queensland as they look for their missing son Lachlan.

She stars alongside fellow Australian acting royalty Richard Roxburgh and Taylor Ferguson, who plays Brooke  — her future daughter-in-law. 

“It was really intense, and to be honest, while I wanted to do it, I was frightened in some way because it was so based in grief,” Otto says.

“It starts at a place of loss and gets worse, but in the end, Kath is in a better place, but it was a tough journey,” she says.

Based in Los Angeles, with her husband, fellow actor Peter O’Brien, and daughter Darcey, the family moved back to Sydney last year to sit out the COVID-19 pandemic. They only recently returned to LA and their family home.

It was film that first made Otto a household name in Australia, following AFI award-nominated performances for The Girl Who Came Late in 1991 and The Last Days Of Chez Nous in 1992. 

She then went on to star in huge Hollywood films, including The Lord Of The Rings franchise and The Thin Red Line.

But she never forgot her start in television. Her first role was a guest spot in the classic Australian drama A Country Practice.

For Otto, it has been great to come full circle and return to television where it all began.

“In my mind, the most interesting stories are now happening in television,” she says.

“Film has become more about big action movies and less about the smaller, independent films. 

“I think streaming and cable TV have discovered you don’t have to please everyone but still make niche television that can find an audience. It’s incredibly authentic.” 

She says when choosing roles, she does so with both O’Brien and Darcey, now 16,  in mind.

“I do love to travel, but with COVID and my family, it’s much harder than it used to be.”

Darcey is now following in her parents’ footsteps.

“She did work with us on a show calledThe Unusual Suspects, which was really fun,” she said.

“But I am not one of those parents who is pushing their kids into acting because it’s a really tough business. So, I will always support her; I won’t push her to do anything,” she says.

The six-part anthology series FIRES also features Australian actors, including Noni Hazelhurst, Sullivan Stapleton, Anna Torv and Sam Worthington.

FIRES / ABC and ABC iview / Sundays 8.40pm.