Netflix’s ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ Taps Newcomer for Lead Role

Netflix’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel All the Light We Cannot See has found its lead actress.

Newcomer Aria Mia Loberti will play Marie-Laure, a blind teenager in occupied France during World War II who meets up with a German soldier, Werner (that role hasn’t been cast yet). Loberti won the part after a worldwide casting search for blind and low-vision actresses; the role will mark her acting debut.

“To find an actress to play the iconic Marie-Laure — a young blind woman whose greatest strength is the tenacity of her hope and the power of her voice across the airwaves during wartime — was no small challenge,” said director and executive producer Shawn Levy. “We searched the world and reviewed thousands of auditions. We never thought our path would lead to someone who has not only never acted professionally, but never auditioned before. It was a jaw-drop moment when we first saw Aria Mia Loberti, who is both a natural performer and an advocate for disability equity and representation. I can’t wait to tell this beautiful story with her at the center.”

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Loberti, who is blind, is a recent Fulbright Scholar and a doctoral student in rhetoric at Penn State University. She’s also a former United Nations youth delegate. She is repped by attorney Lucy Popkin of Goodman Genow.

Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See follows Marie-Laure and Werner as they cross paths and both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) is adapting the novel, and Levy (Stranger Things) will direct all four episodes.

Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment is producing the limited series. He executive produces with 21 Laps’ Dan Levine and Josh Barry and Knight. Joe Strechay is an associate producer and blindness and accessibility consultant.

Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann headed the casting search for Marie-Laure globally, while Susanne Scheel led the search in the United States.