The war drama miniseries on Netflix, ‘All the Light We Cannot See,’ takes viewers on a gripping journey to engage with the human side of wars. It follows two separate narratives of teenagers stuck in the middle of all the violence, giving more details about their backstories through flashbacks. We see an orphaned German boy Werner Pfennig, who, after facing a troubled childhood, joins the Nazis in Saint-Malo to operate the radio, something he is an expert at.
The other prominent story gives us glimpses into the life of a blind French girl, Marie-Laure LeBlanc, who reads out chapters from a book while broadcasting at night. Marie, who turned blind at the age of six, is shown as a strong character from a very young age, who knows her way around things, thanks to a loving father who makes sure to teach her everything he can to help her survive. As the show tells her story through flashbacks, actor Aria Mia Loberti plays the slightly older Marie, while Nell Sutton plays her younger version.
Nell Sutton is Blind in Real Life
Nell Sutton, a seven-year-old girl born with congenital glaucoma, who has previously starred in an ad campaign for Guide Dogs charity in 2020, was cast to play Marie-Laure LeBlanc in ‘All the Light We Cannot See.’ The makers took a call to cast an actual blind girl in the role because they wanted to make the series as authentic as possible. But more than that, it was Nell’s nature, her smartness and charm, that finally landed her the role.
From Gwynedd, North Wales, Nell and her mother were both excited to be a part of this show, especially since getting picked by ‘Stranger Things‘ director Shawn Levy felt like a big deal to Rachel. Nell inherited the visual impairment from her father, Paul, who lost his vision to glaucoma very early on in life. Rachel already knew the challenges with the child but has always kept a positive atmosphere for Nell at home. Nell seems like an inspiration for her, especially in the way she approaches life and inspires everyone around her.
For Levy, the director and executive producer of ‘All the Light We Cannot See,’ every day working with Nell was a pleasure and a chance to learn. While he had to teach her acting, he got to observe what it feels like to live life like she does. In an interview with Newsweek, he said, “For Nell, that little girl was magic; she was unbearably adorable, smart, funny, and she just had a sparkle to her that I was smitten by instantly.” After doing the ad campaign earlier, Nell was eager to act more, which led to Rachel responding to the casting call for Marie, and the rest is history.
Read More: Aria Mia Loberti: All The Light We Cannot See Star is Acting For the First Time
