Kate Winslet and later, Uma Thurman were initially offered the role of Eowyn in the movie 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' (2002). As both of them declined it, the role was eventually given to Miranda Otto. As a child, actress Miranda Otto, along with her friends, wrote scripts and designed flyers and costumes. Mirando Otto wanted to become a ballerina. However, as she suffered from scoliosis, a medical condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve, she had to give up the practice. In preparation towards her role as Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings, Mirando Otto spent six weeks learning stunt choreography and horseback riding. Miranda Otto was pregnant when she was offered the role of Mary Ann Ferrier in the movie War of the Worlds and so she had initially turned the role down. However, director Steven Spielberg had the script reworked to accommodate her. Mirando Otto gave up her medical studies to pursue a career in acting. Miranda Otto gave birth to her first child - Darcey in April 2005. Her husband, Peter O'Brien, also an actor, watched her birth via a webcam from America.