It's the fifth year of World War Two and the Nazis occupy France; in the coastal town of Saint-Malo, a collection of French and German characters are all about to find their fates irrevocably linked.
This is the premise of All The Light We Cannot See, a new four-part period drama on Netflix that is based on an award-winning Anthony Doerr novel of the same name.
All The Light We Cannot See has some legacy actors but also introduces Netflix fans to a few brand-new faces who have never received an acting credit before in their lives. So it's a very varied cast.
So which of these is which? Well, let's meet the cast of All The Light We Cannot See, to get to know the five most important characters.
Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure LeBlanc
Marie-Laure LeBlanc is a French girl who's been blind for at least 10 years now. She's well-versed in the layout of her home town, Saint-Malo, and is also very good at reading people based on their voice. However, her family ties mean she's always very close to danger.
Aria Mia Loberti plays Marie-Laure, and the woman is a newcomer to the screen. Like her character she's blind, though she is not in fact French. Loberti was reportedly a fan of the book before casting began, and beat thousands of other submissions in order to get the leading role.
Nell Sutton plays a younger version of Marie-Laure, and it's also her first credit.
Louis Hofmann as Werner Pfennig
Werner Pfennig is a German soldier who was forced to enlist for the Nazis. He's an expert in radio, and after attending the National Political Institute of Education to be taught Nazi values, he works for the army locating illegal radio transmissions. Werner is in Saint-Malo to root out the resistance.
Louis Hoffman is an experienced German actor whom Netflix subscribers will recognize from hit series Dark, as he played Jonas. As well as plenty of German movies and TV shows he's been in Hollywood projects like Red Sparrow and the upcoming Masters of the Air.
Lars Eidinger as Reinhold von Rumpel
The villainous Reinhold von Rumpel is a Gestapo officer who works as part of Hitler's campaign to steal lots of the art of Europe and hide it in Germany. In particular, he's looking for a gem called the Sea of Flames, but his desire for it is also in part to find a cure for an ailment he has.
Lars Eidinger is another German actor although he's been in more Western products that you might have seen. His movies include Dumbo (the 2019 remake), White Noise and High Life and TV shows include Sense8, Irma Vep and Foyle's War.
Hugh Laurie as Etienne LeBlanc
Etienne LeBlanc is a resistance member in Saint-Malo and is also Marie-Laure's uncle. His actions have got him onto the Nazi's radar, so he has to hide a lot. He's also a veteran of the First World War and has PTSD from the fighting.
Hugh Laurie is a legendary British actor, known as much for his comedy as his dramatic roles. He got started in comedy with A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster, and has won acclaim for dramatic roles in TV shows like House, The Night Manager and The Personal History of David Copperfield. His complete filmography is a lot, lot longer though.
Mark Ruffalo as Daniel LeBlanc
Daniel LeBlanc is Marie-Laure's father, who worked at the Parisienne Museum of Natural History and looked after the young blind girl due to the absence of her mother. By the events of All The Light, he's been missing for some time.
Mark Ruffalo is a Hollywood actor who has several Oscar nominations to his name for roles in Spotlight, Foxcatcher and The Kids Are All Right. He's known to lots of movie fans as Bruce Banner in loads of Marvel movies and has also shown up in the likes of The Adam Project, Dark Waters and Shutter Island.
