The new Mini Series featured in Netflix, “All the Lights We Cannot See,” an adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel directed by Shawn Levy, premiered on 2nd November 2023. The series gained a lot of attention when a newcomer was starred as Marie-Laure. It is not very often that Netflix shows have a lead role that is very new to the cine world.
The drama shows an orphaned German boy Werner played by Louis Hofmann, who is forced to join the Hitler youth, and Loberti leads the cast as Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French teenager who has to flee from Paris with her father when Nazis come over. Within the four-part series, it portrays the intensity of War from the perspective of a person who is blind.
Who is Aria Mia Loberti?
Prior to auditioning for her first role in the mini-series, Aria Mia attended the University of Rhode Island and received her master’s degree in ancient rhetoric with distinction in 2021 from Royal Holloway, University of London, on a Fullbright Scholarship.
She began her doctoral studies in ancient rhetoric at Pennsylvania State University in 2021. Loberti was the first legally blind United Nations Youth Delegate at the U.N. International Human Rights Summit, representing the U.S. and women with disabilities.
Loberti was born with a severe form of the rare genetic eye condition called achromatopsia. She is color-blind, nearsighted, and particularly sensitive to light. In her free time, she enjoys reading, family time, exploring campus with her Guide Dog, and geeking out about all things sci-fi/fantasy. Loberti told in TEDx Talks,
I learned from a very young age that our society sees disability in negative light and people with disability especially young and women are often not taught or encouraged to use their voice.
Loberti’s journey from an academic to acting
Loberti had never dreamt of being an actress as a kid, but when she felt overwhelmed at a stage of her life, she decided to try something new. She heard about the opportunity from her teacher and thought of giving it a try as she loved the book and admired the character. In the auditioning video, she is seen enacting a part of the novel. Shawn Levy, the director of the series, stated that,
I had this gnawing suspicion that the best way to do this was to do it with an actress or non actress who brought the experience that Marie lives with and that is low vision or blind candidate and Aria rose to the top.
Loberti was terrified that she would mess things up since everyone working with her was on top of their craft. Levy confronted her, and she got to shadow him, filming her co-star Louis, and gave her a complete insight into how things work. Her guide dog Ingrid was also part of the series, which eased her more to be in the set of “All the Light We Cannot See”.
During the interview with CBS Sunday Morning, she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity and her commitment to bringing life to the character. The actor also stated that there are countless disabled actors in the world, and it is necessary to make fair and equal opportunities for them as well. She told Netflix,
I think it’s so important for young people to be able to say, ‘I can be the hero of my own story. I can tell my own story. I don’t have to have other people presenting a facsimile of me. I can be authentic and true, and I’m worthy of that. I’m worthy of having my own voice.
Loberti’s as Marie-Laure serves as an inspiration, as she not only epitomizes the character but also becomes a voice for including the people with disabilities in the industry.
