Netflix casts newcomer Aria Mia Loberti, who is blind, to lead All the Light We Cannot See

The Hollywood Reporter

Loberti will play Marie-Laure, a blind teenager in occupied France during World War II who meets up with a German soldier in Netflix's adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Loberti, who had never acted or auditioned before, was cast after a worldwide search for blind and low-vision actresses. “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.”