A Rhode Island actress who is legally blind has landed the coveted lead role in a new Netflix limited series adapted from Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller, All The Light We Cannot See. Aria Mia Loberti, a University of Rhode Island graduate, will make her acting debut in a very fitting role.

According to Deadline, which first reported the news, there was a worldwide search for blind and low-vision actresses for the part and Loberti landed it. She will play Marie-Laure, a blind teenager central to the story, who meets Werner, a German soldier, as they both try to survive World War II in occupied France.

As a fan of most World War II movies and stories, this sounds like a must-see to me. Knowing it stars a Rhode Island resident and University of Rhode Island graduate and will be directed by Shawn Levy, the same man behind Ryan Reynold's Free Guy and producer of Stranger Things, makes it that much more intriguing.

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Loberti may be new to acting, but she has quite the impressive resumé off-screen. Her time at URI saw her graduate summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She was also a member of the Honors Program, triple majored in Communication Studies, Political Science, and Philosophy – not to mention her minors in Ancient Greek language and Rhetoric. Wow, to say the least.

Clearly taking on her first-ever acting role with absolutely no training is just another amazing accomplishment for this Ocean Stater. Levy said of finding Loberti, she "is both a natural performer and an advocate for disability equity and representation. I can’t wait to tell this beautiful story with her at the center.”

No word on when filming will begin, but we can't wait to find out when this limited series will hit Netflix so we can binge watch it all.

Here are some other local actors and actresses that might surprise you

Move over Hollywood, you're not the only town that breeds stars. We've compiled a list of some famous people that either are native to the SouthCoast, or eventually called it home.

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