“Fierce, strength, and tenacious” are the three words director and executive producer Shawn Levy used to describe All the Light We Cannot See’s leading actor Aria Mia Loberti during a conversation with Anthony Doerr on Sunday Sept. 10. “From the moment you guys sent me the link to Aria’s audition, I was blown away,” added Doerr. “I just was so moved.”
The upcoming limited series is an adaptation of Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel — which means it comes with a devout fan base. Since the book community is so deeply valued by the show’s production team, it made sense that Levy and Doerr would treat those fans to an exclusive virtual screening of the series’ first episode on Sunday Sept. 10. Following the sneak peak, the director and author sat down for an exclusive conversation about adapting the novel for the screen. “It’s beautiful and I can’t wait for everybody to see it,” said Doerr of the adaptation which debuts Nov. 2 on Netflix, adding that he was in “awe” of Levy’s ability to immediately draw viewers into the four-hour narrative.
“What I saw in Aria Mia Loberti was what I felt in the character in your book,” Levy told Doerr during their discussion. “The intelligence of Aria gives Marie-Laure so much dimension.” Loberti plays a blind French girl named Marie-Laure who flees German-occupied Paris to St. Malo, France with her father Daniel (Mark Ruffalo). “Mark has an inherent paternal, soulful warmth that I knew was the live or die of that character of Daniel,” Levy added.
Marie-Laure’s journey intertwines with Werner’s (Louis Hofmann), a teenage boy whose knowledge of radio frequencies gets him enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts. Through Marie-Laure’s secret radio broadcasts, Werner holds onto hope as a means of survival during World War II.
Hofmann portrays a young Nazi soldier and Doerr believes his character should be a lesson to all. “We need to be able to extend our empathy to people who we think are our enemies, just as graciously as people who we think are our friends,” he said. Levy added, “It’s heartbreaking to me that that sentence you just said is more timely in 2023 than it has ever been, because of course we live in a world that is polarized to an extent that is shocking.”
During the talk, Levy explained how moved he was after reading Doerr’s novel over the holidays back in 2014. “I ran back to work and told anybody who would listen, ‘We got to get the rights to it,’” he said. Although the rights already belonged to someone else, Levy never gave up. A few years later, All the Light We Cannot See was back on the drawing board after an unsuccessful film adaptation. “I think that a limited series is the perfect format for this because we can honor the source material,” Levy told Doerr. With over 500 pages to work with and Doerr’s endorsement, Levy got to work — and what came of it was a groundbreaking four-part limited series.
For Doerr, Levy’s credits as producer and director on Stranger Things helped seal the deal. “Stranger Things was big and my kids loved it,” said Doerr to Levys. It was such a unique thing because all four of [my family members] totally enjoyed it.” With Levy’s experience working with young actors on the Duffer Brothers’ hit sci-fi horror series, Doerr knew the director would be able to handle his characters with care, and even called his direction “a gift.”
Before you dive into Marie-Laure and Werner’s harrowing journeys this fall, meet the other actors by taking a glimpse at these new character posters, including Etienne LeBlanc (Hugh Laurie) and Reinhold von Rumpel (Lars Eidinger).
Marie-Laure flees Paris and is tasked with the safekeeping of a precious jewel, which the Nazis are after. Her bravery and resilience lead her to St. Malo.
Growing up as an orphan in Germany, Werner didn’t have much. However, after acquiring a radio, the young boy taught himself how to build and repair one. His skills would later work against him when the Nazis recruit him against his will.
As Marie-Laure’s father, Daniel never wanted his daughter’s blindness to hinder her. When she was a young girl, he built an elaborate mini model of Paris so that she could learn how to navigate the streets.
Residing in Saint-Malo, Etienne welcomes his nephew Daniel and grandniece Marie-Laure into his home after they flee from Nazi-occupied Paris.
This ruthless Nazi leader is after Marie-Laure and her father, and he won’t stop until he gets his hands on the prized jewel.
