Aria Mia Loberti (born 1994)[1] is an American actress. She stars as Marie-Laure Leblanc in the Netflix miniseries All the Light We Cannot See. She won her inaugural role from a global search of thousands of actresses.[2]
Aria Mia Loberti | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1994 (age 29–30) |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | All the Light We Cannot See |
Biography
editAria Mia Loberti was born and raised into an Italian-American family in Johnston, Rhode Island.[3] Dissatisfied with her treatment in public school, her parents homeschooled her from the third through twelfth grades.[2] As a child and teen, she trained intensively in classical ballet at the preprofessional level.[4] She also trained in martial arts[5] and holds a yoga teaching certification, working as a certified yoga teacher throughout college. [6]
Loberti attended the University of Rhode Island from 2016 to 2020. She graduated summa cum laude with three majors — Philosophy, Communication Studies, and Political Science — and minors in Ancient Greek language and Rhetoric, and completed the Honors Program.[7][8] She received her master's degree in ancient rhetoric with distinction in 2021 from Royal Holloway, University of London on a Fulbright Scholarship.[9] She started her doctoral studies in ancient rhetoric at Pennsylvania State University in 2021,[10] when she began to question her career path.[11] She then responded on a whim to an All The Light We Cannot See open global casting search posted online.
Acting career
editLoberti’s inaugural acting role was the lead character of Marie-Laure Leblanc in Netflix's adaptation of the 2014 novel All the Light We Cannot See. It was also her first audition.[12][13][14] Her performance has been universally praised by critics, described as "graceful and affecting",[15] "luminous",[16] "resonant, [and] captivating",[17] and a "radiant…good and pure presence that grounds the series' sense of jeopardy".[18] Her co-star Mark Ruffalo referred to her as "a revelation".[19]
She received a Rising Star Award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival[20] and an Entertainment Weekly Breaking Big Award at the 2023 SCAD Savannah Film Festival.[21] She was nominated for Best Breakthrough Performance at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards.[22][23]
Loberti, who has low vision due to a form of the genetic condition achromatopsia,[24] landed the part after a global search for an actor who is blind or low-vision. A fan of the book, she auditioned after learning about the search from a childhood orientation and mobility teacher.[25][26] Despite no acting training, Loberti beat out thousands of submissions to secure the role three weeks after she sent in her self tape.[27] Director Shawn Levy stated of Loberti: "I didn't know what she had acted in, I didn't know what her training was, all I knew is that there was a combination of intelligence, which was extremely self-evident, and a luminous quality on camera… I later found out that not only was she new to acting—she had never even auditioned before."[28]
In September 2023, it was announced that Loberti would serve as the new face of the beauty and skincare brand L'Occitane en Provence.[29][30] In November 2023, it was announced that she would narrate a new audiobook version of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.[31] She also appeared in the television adaptation of The Spiderwick Chronicles.[32]
Activism
editLoberti is also a human rights activist and began speaking up for her own and others' educational and accessibility rights at just four years old.[33][34] On April 18, 2024, Loberti was announced as the newest UNICEF Ambassador.[35][36] She has been an active supporter of UNICEF since 2022 and has traveled with the organization specifically to support educational rights, children’s literacy access, and climate change efforts.[37]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | All the Light We Cannot See | Marie-Laure LeBlanc | Miniseries, acting debut |
| 2024 | Grey's Anatomy | Vida Madera | Episode: "Baby Can I Hold You" |
| 2024 | The Spiderwick Chronicles | Valentina | 5 episodes |
References
edit- ^ "Aria Mia Loberti Embraces 'All the Light We Cannot See'". Vanity Fair. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Legally blind Johnston native makes 'authentic' Netflix debut: Aria Mia Loberti is an advocate, scholar, URI graduate and now an actress". February 3, 2022.
- ^ "Introducing November Starring Aria Mia Loberti". Rose & Ivy. November 8, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Introducing November Starring Aria Mia Loberti". Rose & Ivy. November 8, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Gomez, Dessi (December 11, 2023). "'All the Light We Cannot See': Aria Mia Loberti Originally Auditioned for Her 'Own Healing'". TheWrap. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "Yoga, demanding academics, United Nations service keep URI sophomore focused, happy". Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "Aria Mia Loberti, '20", University of Rhode Island, https://web.uri.edu/artsci/class-of-2020/loberti/
- ^ "2020–2021 American Postgraduate Award Grantees", Us-UK Fulbright Commission, https://www.fulbright.org.uk/about-us/meet-our-fulbrighters/2020-21-us-uk-fulbright-award-grantees/2020-21-american-postgraduate-award-grantees
- ^ URI Staff (2020), "Aria Mia Loberti Selected for Fulbright Award to the United Kingdom", University of Rhode Island, https://web.uri.edu/fellowships/aria-mia-loberti-selected-for-fulbright-award-to-united-kingdom/
- ^ "CAS Directory: Aria Mia Loberti", Penn State, https://cas.la.psu.edu/people/aml7282 Archived July 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sara Holzman (November 1, 2023). "Aria Mia Loberti Is Suiting Up". Marie Claire Magazine. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Petski, D. (2021). "All The Light We Cannot See: Newcomer Aria Mia Loberti, Who Is Blind, Cast As Female Lead In Netflix Limited Series Adaptation". Deadline.
- ^ Holmes, M. (2021). "Newcomer Aria Mia Loberti Lands Lead Role in Netflix's All The Light We Cannot See". TV Insider.
- ^ Dugan, K. (2021). "Netflix's All The Light We Cannot See Adaptation Has Found Its Lead". SlashFilm.
- ^ Travers, Ben (September 10, 2023). "'All the Light We Cannot See' Review: Shawn Levy's Schmaltzy Netflix Adaptation Misses the Mark". IndieWire. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "'All the Light We Cannot See' review: Audiences deserve better". ABC News. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Bianculli, David (November 3, 2023). "All the Light We Cannot See is a heartening and hopeful wartime tale". NPR.
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (September 10, 2023). "'All the Light We Cannot See' Review: A Clumsy Netflix Adaptation of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer-Winning World War II Novel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "How 'All the Light We Cannot See' Discovered New Shining Star Aria Mia Loberti". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Industry - Rising Stars". TIFF. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Breaking Big Panel and Awards | Filmfest". filmfest.scad.edu. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (December 5, 2023). "Spirit Awards 2024 Nominations List: 'Past Lives,' 'May December,' 'American Fiction' Lead With 5 Noms Each". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Nemiroff, Perri (December 16, 2023). "'All the Light We Cannot See' Convinced Aria Mia Loberti "I Do Matter"". Collider. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Alberge, Dalya (December 26, 2021). "Untrained blind student lands starring role in Netflix second world war epic". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ Porter, Rick (December 9, 2021). "Netflix's 'All the Light We Cannot See' Taps Newcomer for Lead Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ Zorrilla, Monica Maria (December 9, 2021). "Netflix's 'All The Light We Cannot See' Adaptation Casts Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure". Variety. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ Weintraub, Steve; Jones, Tamera (November 25, 2023). "'All the Light We Cannot See's Aria Mia Loberti Shares Her Life-Changing Audition Story". Collider. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "How Aria Mia Loberti Landed Her Leading Role in 'All the Light We Cannot See'". Town & Country. November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Parsons, Sarah (September 11, 2023). "L'Occitane names blind actress Aria Mia Loberti as new ambassador". Cosmetics Business. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ Provence, L'Occitane en. "Rising Star Aria Mia Loberti named Global Brand Ambassador by L'Occitane en Provence". prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (October 31, 2023). "Aria Mia Loberti, Breakout Star of 'All the Light We Cannot See,' Narrates New Audiobook of Classic Jules Verne Novel (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "For Aria Mia Loberti, 'All the Light We Cannot See' Is Just the Beginning". Glamour. December 6, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "What Challenging Times Have Taught This Young Gender and Disability Advocate". MA Conference for Women. July 7, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Aria Mia Loberti". Concordia. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Teslik, Keeley. "UNICEF USA BrandVoice: 6 Questions With UNICEF Ambassador Aria Mia Loberti". Forbes. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ "Aria Mia Loberti, star of 'All The Light We Cannot See' is appointed as UNICEF ambassador". Good Good Good. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ "Ahead of Earth Day Aria Mia Loberti visits with children and youth to discuss child rights and climate action in Kosovo". unicef.org. Retrieved November 8, 2023.