Who Plays Diana Barry in Anne with an E
The role of Diana Barry in the CBC and Netflix series Anne with an E is played by actress Lucas Jade Zumann. Zumann portrays Diana as Anne Shirley's childhood friend and neighbor in the fictional town of Avonlea. The series adapts Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables novels and reimagines the characters for a modern audience. The casting choice placed Zumann opposite Amybeth McNulty, who stars as Anne Shirley.
Lucas Jade Zumann is an American actor known for roles in film and television projects that often center on young, introspective characters. Before Anne with an E, Zumann gained attention for performances in movies such as Sinister 2 and the Netflix series Sense8. In Anne with an E, Zumann's portrayal of Diana focuses on the evolving friendship between Diana and Anne as they navigate life in late 19th century Prince Edward Island.
Diana Barry Character Overview in Anne with an E
In Anne with an E, Diana Barry is depicted as a thoughtful, kind, and loyal friend to Anne Shirley. The series expands on the original novels by giving Diana more depth, exploring her family life, social expectations, and personal struggles. Diana's relationship with Anne is central to the early storylines, providing emotional support and contrasting perspectives on identity and belonging.
The character of Diana Barry is adapted from Lucy Maud Montgomery's original Anne of Green Gables book series. In the novels, Diana is described as a blonde girl with a sweet temperament, and she becomes Anne's inseparable companion. The show's writers use the Diana character to examine themes of class, family duty, and the constraints placed on young women in rural communities during the era depicted.
Casting and Production Context for Anne with an E
Anne with an E was developed for television by Moira Walley-Beckett and produced by CBC and Netflix. The series premiered in 2017 and ran for three seasons, with casting decisions aimed at building a strong ensemble around the lead character of Anne Shirley. The casting of Lucas Jade Zumann as Diana Barry was part of a broader effort to assemble a cast that could convey the emotional complexity of Montgomery's source material.
The show's production involved collaboration between Canadian and international production teams, with filming locations in Nova Scotia standing in for the fictional setting of Prince Edward Island. CBC and Netflix worked together on distribution, with the series available to a global audience through the Netflix streaming platform. The casting of actors such as Zumann and McNulty helped define the series' tone and contributed to its visibility in the period drama genre.