Podcast Summary: “All The Light We Cannot See” Receives Four Emmy Nominations

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Shawn Levy (Director)
Date: September 13, 2024

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Shawn Levy, the acclaimed director of the Emmy-nominated Netflix series “All the Light We Cannot See,” adapted from Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The conversation delves into Levy’s creative process, the challenges of adaptation, authentic representation, and the series’ resonant themes of war, hope, and human connection. The discussion explores not only the technical artistry behind the show’s Emmy-nominated aspects but also the personal and ethical considerations that shaped its making.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Taking on a Historical and Emotional Adaptation

• Levy discusses preparing for a series rooted in the WWII era:
  • Unlike his work on projects like “Stranger Things,” adapting a narrative set in 1930s-40s France and Germany required extensive research and a commitment to “authenticity.”
  • Immersed himself in film, photographs, and period literature to capture the right atmosphere.
  • Emphasizes striving for “as much authenticity as I could…from casting…through every detail of the production design.” (02:42)

2. Creative Guidance and Influences

• Relied heavily on his production designer, Simon Elliott, for historical nuance.
• Drew inspiration from films such as “The English Patient” and “Saving Private Ryan,” remarking how these influenced his directorial choices but he sought to make “a different kind of story.” (03:40)

3. Life Imitating Art: Filming Amidst Current Events

• Filming in Hungary coincided with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
  • Many extras cast as French refugees were themselves Ukrainian refugees, shifting West to escape war.
  • “It was haunting…those echoes of history. But it also reaffirmed…the possibility to create a piece of entertainment that was also really timely and resonant in its themes.” (04:51)

4. Authentic and Accessible Blind Representation

• Sought advice from consultant Joe Strechay, who is blind, to ensure accurate depiction:
  • Joe evaluated the set for hazards and advised practical, safe scene adaptations for blind actors (e.g., using twine to mark positions, guiding hand movements for audience clarity).
  • Example: “Joe would come up after a take and point out...the camera doesn't see your feet…let's also use the back of your hand to feel for the door frame so that the audience understands how you are understanding the space.” (06:19)

5. Working with New, Blind Performers

• Actresses playing Marie (Nell Sutton as a child, Aria Mia Loberti as adult) had never acted before and are blind.
• Levy finds “real authenticity” with new actors lacking habits or “artifice.”
  • “You have an absence of trickery, an absence of kind of indicative little tools of the trade…often a performance that feels more visceral and more real.” (08:04)

6. Sound Design as Narrative Device

• Sound vital to the storytelling, reflecting Marie’s experience:
  • “I wanted the soundscape to be as vivid and as dimensional as possible…We dialed up the granular detail of every sound so…the audience could have a vicarious sense of how this heroine is experiencing” her world. (10:22)

7. Directorial Decisions: Leadership and Inclusive Casting

• Faced with the challenge of casting legally blind or low-vision actors for the lead:
  • “That was the biggest decision because I knew it would be the hardest thing to do…But I knew that it would also inform every frame of this story.” (12:01)
• Highlights leadership as the art of inspiring—not commanding—large teams, especially under tight production constraints. (13:16)

8. Father-Daughter Dynamic: Personal Parallels

• Levy, a father of four daughters, drew from personal experience for the intimacy between Marie and her father:
  • “The intimacy and the bonding is done through shared activity, not necessarily through words or lectures…something physical where…father and child…it has a closeness.” (14:49)
  • Shared a humorous and touching story about participating fully in his daughters’ tea parties, embracing the role of “Belle from Beauty and the Beast.” (16:12)

9. Empathy for the Enemy: Portraying Werner

• As a Jewish director, navigating how to guide audiences to empathize with Werner, a German soldier:
  • “It’s one of the great achievements of the book…that you really understand, empathize and sympathize with both characters…how critical it is to see the other as more than a label…” (17:23)
  • Modern parallels: Need for humanism amidst polarizing times.

10. The Enduring Power and Double Edge of Radio

• Both the novel and adaptation underscore radio’s immense role:
  • “We experience something in a more pure and intimate way when the eyes are not distracted, when all it is is sound.” (19:06)
• Radio as both a force for connection and a tool for misinformation.

11. Stunt Work and Disabled Representation

• Combined practical and visual effects for realism (e.g., explosions, combat).
• Lead actress Aria Mia Loberti insisted on performing her own stunts:
  • “I want to do all the stunts myself because no blind performer has ever played the lead in a major production like this. And I want to show everyone that we can do the job…And she did.” (20:43)
  • All stunt work for Marie done by Loberti, including demanding underwater scenes.

12. Adapting a Beloved Novel: Balancing Fidelity and Medium

• Addressed fan concerns about adaptation versus the novel:
  • Cited Anthony Doerr’s support for creative freedom:
    • “Tony said…‘You need to do your thing because your form, your medium is completely different.’”
  • “The book is the mountain…We’re not trying to replicate the mountain. We did a painting of the mountain and that’s how I view this show.” (22:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On authenticity:
  “I wanted to tell this story based on this book that I adored…But I wanted to do it with as much authenticity as I could.” – Shawn Levy (02:42)

• On sound as storytelling:
  “We dialed up the granular detail of every sound so that the audience could have a vicarious sense of how this heroine is experiencing…her world.” – Shawn Levy (10:22)

• On the challenge and impact of inclusive casting:
  “The decision to cast, or at least to try my very best to cast low vision or legally blind people for this lead role of Marie, that was the biggest decision because I knew it would be the hardest thing to do…” – Shawn Levy (12:01)

• On empathy across divides:
  “One of the themes of this story is how critical it is to see the other as more than a label…” – Shawn Levy (17:23)

• On adaptation:
  “The book is the mountain that will outlast all of us…We did a painting of the mountain and that’s how I view this show.” – Shawn Levy (22:51)

Key Timestamps

• 01:11 – Introduction to Shawn Levy and the Netflix adaptation
• 02:42 – Levy on historical preparation and authenticity
• 03:40 – Mentorship, production design, and film influences
• 04:51 – Filming during Ukraine war; real-world echoes
• 06:19 – Blind consultant Joe Strechay’s contributions
• 08:04 – Casting new, blind actors and the authenticity of their performances
• 10:22 – Importance and approach to sound design
• 12:01 – Casting decisions and the importance of representation
• 13:16 – Leadership lessons on set
• 14:49 – Father-daughter relationship and personal influences
• 16:12 – Tea party memory: “full-on…Belle from Beauty and the Beast”
• 17:23 – Navigating audience empathy for Werner, contemporary parallels
• 19:06 – The power of radio in storytelling
• 20:43 – Stunt work, practical effects, and inclusive action scenes
• 22:51 – On adapting the novel and honoring both mediums

Tone and Style

The conversation maintains a reflective, personal, and respectful tone, blending practical filmmaking discussions with philosophical threads about empathy, representation, and timely relevance. Alison Stewart’s questions are insightful and open, prompting candid, detailed responses from Shawn Levy, who is warm, enthusiastic, and honest about both challenges and rewards.

This episode is essential listening for fans of the novel or the series, students of adaptation, or anyone interested in the art and ethics of inclusive, resonant storytelling in today’s cultural landscape.