When the All the Light We Cannot See was initially published as a book in 2014 by Scribner, it was set to become a wildly successful work of literature. Written by author Anthony Doerr, who had previously published a novel and a collection of short stories, All the Light We Cannot See is classified as a war novel, as well as a work of historical fiction. Its stage is war-torn France during the Second World War and its heroine is a blind 16-year-old girl living in Paris. The French capital is occupied by the Germans, so when the girl and her father flee their home for the countryside, her story becomes tightly bound with the story of a German boy experiencing the opposing side of the war.
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All The Light We Cannot See would go on to win two major literary awards: the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. It would be on the New York Times bestseller list for 200 weeks and named one of the publication’s best books of 2014. However, it would take almost a decade for a book to television adaptation to officially be in the works, as Netflix acquired the rights for the novel in 2019. Casting notices have been slowly trickling out, with both Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie’s involved announced earlier this year. Here’s a look at the confirmed cast of All the Light We Cannot See so far, and other roles you’ve seen the actors play.
Mark Ruffalo
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Mark Ruffalo has enjoyed a pretty prolific career in Hollywood throughout the 30 years he has been active in the industry. He made his acting debut in the cinema world in the mid-1990s, although he had made some television appearances and even originated the role of Warren in This is Our Youth. Some of his most notable appearances outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe include movies like Shutter Island, Zodiac, 2022’s The Adam Project with Ryan Reynolds, and the Now You See Me franchise. While Ruffalo has enjoyed additional success in the New York City theater scene, he is best known for his portrayal of Bruce Banner/Hulk in Marvel movies. He will be reprising that role in the upcoming Disney+ television series She-Hulk.
Hugh Laurie
HBO Max
English actor Hugh Laurie has truly done it all during his lifetime. He is best known for his television appearances on Fox’s eight-year series House, where he portrayed the main character: Dr. Gregory House. During the 80s and 90s, he was a part of a comedy duo consisting of him and fellow actor Stephen Fry — the two had initially met via actress Emma Thompson while attending Cambridge University. Other notable television roles include HBO’s Veep, The Night Manager, and, recently, HBO’s Avenue 5. In the movie world, Laurie was in the live-action adaptation of 101 Dalmatians, Sense and Sensibility, and Stuart Little, among others. In All the Light We Cannot See, Laurie will be portraying a World War I veteran suffering from PTSD, one who happens to be the great-uncle of the Marie-Laurie, the blind French girl.
Louis Hofmann
Netflix
24-year-old Louis Hofmann was born and raised in Cologne, Germany, and his upcoming role of Werner Pfenning, the young German boy, in All the Light We Cannot See will mark one of Hofmann’s biggest roles globally to date. He made his film debut in a 2011 German adaptation of the American novel Tom Sawyer, and he sang the soundtrack for the movie. He would hit his stride years later, appearing in a string of German indie movies like Centre of My World and the war movie Alone in Berlin. He made a brief appearance in Jennifer Lawrence’s spy thriller Red Sparrow, but Hofmann is best known for his role in Netflix’s German drama Dark.
Lars Eidinger
TPO Rok
Veteran actor Lars Eidinger is a familiar face for those acquainted with the theater scene in Germany, as well as the local movie arena. Eidinger began his career as an actor for the stage in the heart of Berlin, then transitioned into a balance for both theater and the movie world. He was one of the judges for the Berlin Film Festival in 2016, which was led by actress Meryl Streep — a testament to the impact of his career, as he was the sole German representative in that year’s jury. In Germany, he is known for his role in the police drama Tatort and the adaption of Shades of Guilt. Some of Eidinger’s best-known roles include his portrayal of Nicholas II in Matilda, an appearance on Netflix’s Sense8, and appearing alongside Kristen Stewart in the indie film Personal Shopper.
Aria Mia Loberti
Loberti’s role in All the Light We Cannot See will be one of her first-ever acting roles, as she is a complete newcomer to the industry. Netflix searched far and wide for a low-vision or blind actress to authentically play the lead female role, and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Loberti was selected after the global search was concluded. She is blind and a Ph.D. student at Penn State University, studying rhetoric, and is a disability advocate. Even if this is Loberti’s debut in the acting world, the world will definitely be seeing more of her in the future, whether it is in acting or being a force of positive change.
