Gaia Wise is a British actress who voices Héra, the rebellious and determined daughter of King Helm Hammerhand, in the 2024 anime prequel film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the first Lord of the Rings feature told through anime-style animation. Wise’s performance anchors the film as its central protagonist, and she has spoken about drawing inspiration from Princess Nausicaä from Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in shaping Héra’s fierce, independent characterisation.
Producer Philippa Boyens praised Wise for bringing genuine “fieriness” to the role without allowing the character to become simply petulant, helping ground the film’s exploration of Rohan’s history generations before Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Wise’s casting as the film’s lead placed her at the centre of a voice cast blending established Lord of the Rings alumni with newer talent exploring previously untold corners of Tolkien’s legendarium.
Her central performance in The War of the Rohirrim has introduced her to a significant new audience of Lord of the Rings fans, and she has become a notable figure among collectors following the franchise’s expanding animated storytelling.
