Gaia Wise
28th May 2021
Make Up: One Skin & Revolution Pro
Photography: Owen James Vincent
Make Up Artist: Jo Sugar using One Skin & Revolution Pro
Hair: Tim Furssedonn using Kevin Murphy session
Styling: Steve Vyse
Assistant Styling: Ann Banrigh
Graphic Design: James Shaw
Words: Kieran Galpinz
A familiar face on red carpets alongside her parents, Gaia Wise, is an up and coming actress with connections in all the right places. Having starred in 2015’s 'A Walk In The Woods', Gaia is sure to be a name cropping up in many aspects of British Pop culture.
For anyone following Gaia on Instagram, you may notice the resemblance between Gaia and a particular household name. Her mother, Emma Thompson, has been a staple in British cinema for decades, creating iconic roles in Love Actually, Nanny McPhee, Sense and Sensibility, and many more.
In Gaia’s ReVamp debut, she dishes on everything from her career aspirations to the pressures of growing up in the public eye. With projects currently in pre-production, you might be seeing a lot more of Gaia in the near future.
Hey Gaia, Thank you so much for your cover shoot & interview. How does it feel to be on the cover of ReVamp?
Slight honour really. I've never been photographed in that way before and I think being new in my own right in this industry, it's nice to have something like this, so people will get to see me. Also I'm sort of... a little bit not lost for words but I suppose, I'm confused why anyone would want me on the front cover of a magazine but it's fun and very exciting!
What inspired you to become part of the creative industry?
I think having spent my entire life in it because my Grandfather, my Grandmother, my Dad, my Mum and even my Aunt was in the industry. For so long I tried to run away from it and I thought people would say to me, "Do you want to do what your Mum does?" and I would say "No I want to be an astronaut!". Then I realised when I got to about fourteen years old, that I couldn't run away any more and it was like a calling. I think the turning point was I left school to be home schooled at fourteen and I got in to Sweeney Todd ENO and being on stage and doing that was when I knew this is what I want to do with my life.
So you’ve starred in shows such as A Walk in the Woods, Sweeney Todd ENO and Shooting Star. Have you got any exciting projects coming up?
Well, there's a project that I'm very happy with that's a nice little independent film, that I'm really looking forward to. Fingers crossed that's going to be filmed in the summer. We haven't shot 'Shooting Star' yet because of Covid, so that's going to be the end of this year / beginning of next year. I'm so looking forward to that because Will Chappell is the producer and Toby Fontaine wrote it. I've been connected to it even before I got an agent because I don't know what they saw in me, but apparently they saw something. Also Toby wrote a little fantastic series that we're hoping to get off the ground as well.
Shirt & Skirt: Sorapol London / Earrings: Vivienne Westwood / Shoes: Dune London
What is your biggest aspiration? Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I think aspirations are difficult things because I'm quite wishy washy in that respect. I would like to still be healthy, be happy, I love my independence. I would like to have done the work with the people that I'm supposed to work with. I would love to go back on stage, its one of my passions. Also get all the passion projects that I've been invested in with the past three to four years, get them done because it's so lovely when you're so emotionally invested. Just acting really! It's something that's a life blood for me and my Dad used to tell me a joke, that's to make my father proud because it's the one thing he used to tell me, and obviously have a lovely time and be with my family.
Do you have a particular favourite role your mother & father have played?
Oooh! I think for my Dad (he's going to hate me for this), one of my favourites is that he did a musical called, 'Walking on Sunshine' and he sings in it and I will never get tired of watching that film. I think the character, Willoughby in Sense & Sensiblity ,because thats why I'm alive, it's how my parents met. For Mum, I think it's a combination of Nanny McPhee because I was brought up on that set at the age of five when they were filming it. Also I'm very excited about 'The Baroness' in Disney's Cruella because all the costumes and the wigs are fantastic. For Mum and Dad together it would be Last Christmas because they wrote that together and starred in it. That's always going to have a special place in my heart.
Dress: Sorapol London / Earrings: Vivienne Westwood / Boots: 80s Vintage
If you could play any character ever created, who would it be?
That's hard! I mean I desperately want to play Mrs Lovett in 'Sweeney Todd' when I'm older. I love that role so much! Love the songs. I'm a fantastic lover of Shakespeare which is very cliche, but weirdly someone like Helena in a 'Midsummer Nights Dream', just a really powerful slightly bitchy Shakespearean character, I think would be great fun.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
Very very cliche but my Mum and my Grandmother. My Grandmother was scraping by as an actor and her husband was an actor as well, to then give that love to my Mum who passed it on to me. So I think if that hadn't happened I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be doing this. So it's definitely the two generations of women in my family, and then my Dad's late sister Claire who worked for Universal. She was a lover of films, we used to watch films all the time together. She was a huge part of my life and I think about her everyday and always wonder what she would say if she saw me now.
Having been photographed on red carpets and paparazzi alike, how would you describe your own style?
Funky, Vintage, Madness! I wear a lot of very outrageous outfits and I like saying to people, "Oh you look fabulous today". When you've put on an outfit you're proud of and you love it so. Also, I'm a lover of hats and big mad shoes and lots of tartan. So a lot of Punk, Pop, Clueless vibe I would say.
What advice would you give to young actors who want to break in to theatre?
Get used to rejection. Learning rejection is the most important thing. You're never going to get anywhere if you take it to heart! Of course they will always give productive advice. Never question your ability, no matter how many times you get the role you wanted. Last thing is find things outside the industry as well so if you like art, keep doing art, it's keeping the creative spark alive even when you're not working.