Netflix's new series 'All the Light We Cannot See' stars a URI grad. Here's how to watch
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A Netflix miniseries starring a University of Rhode Island graduate who grew up in Johnston debuts Thursday.
Aria Mia Loberti, who is blind, stars in "All the Light We Cannot See," an adaptation of a novel by Anthony Doerr, which won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was a New York Times bestseller.
Set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, it tells the story of a blind French girl who meets a young German soldier. Loberti was chosen for the role of Marie-Laure in the four-part series after "a worldwide search of blind and low-vision actresses," Netflix announced in December.
Advocate to actress: Johnston native takes on lead role as blind woman in Netflix series
Loberti, who graduated from URI with honors in 2020, auditioned for the role at the urging of a former childhood teacher, although she had no acting experience, she said in a story published to URI's website. She could not comment for this story because of the actors strike.
"Not in a million years did I think anything like this would ever happen to me ... I am massively lucky. More lucky and humbled and grateful than I can express," Loberti wrote previously on Instagram after getting the part.
Loberti worked with "two of my favorite actors," Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie, she said previously on Instagram. Ruffalo plays Marie-Laure's father and Laurie plays the character's great-uncle. The drama was directed by Shawn Levy, producer of Netflix's "Stranger Things."
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Of Loberti, Levy told Netflix, "Aria, every single day, was able to teach me about the experience of living without sight." He described her as both “a magnificent discovery” and a true creative partner. "It has made the series so much more nuanced and authentic in its DNA and certainly in the way it portrays its central heroine."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Netflix's 'All the Light We Cannot See' stars URI's Aria Loberti
