Newcomer Aria Mia Loberti Lands Lead Role in Netflix’s ‘All The Light We Cannot See’

Aria Mia Loberti
Ryan Collerd/Netflix

Netflix has found its lead actress for Shawn Levy’s upcoming limited series All The Light We Cannot See, based on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller.

The newly discovered Aria Mia Loberti will star as Marie-Laure, a blind teenager whose path collides with a German soldier named Werner, as they both try to survive the devastation of World War II in occupied France.

Loberti landed the role after a worldwide search for blind and low vision actresses. A recent Fulbright Scholar, current Ph.D. student in Rhetoric at Pennsylvania State University, and former United Nations Youth Delegate, Loberti, who was a fan of the book, tried out after learning about the casting search from a former teacher.

Despite having no formal acting training, Loberti impressed the casting scouts and beat out thousands of submissions to win the part. This will mark her first-ever acting role.

“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,” said the show’s director and executive producer, Shawn Levy.

“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,” he continued. “I can’t wait to tell this beautiful story with her at the center.”

Levy will direct all four episodes of the series while Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) is on board as a writer. Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment (Stranger Things) will produce. Knight will also serve as an exec producer alongside Levy, Dan Levin, and Josh Barry. Joe Strechay (See) will act as Associate Producer, Blindness and Accessibility Consultant.

All The Light We Cannot See, TBA, Netflix