Photo:Matthew Sharpe/Getty Images; Warner Bros
Matthew Sharpe/Getty Images; Warner Bros
New details are coming to light aboutMichael Oherand the Tuohy family, who inspired 2009’sThe Blind Side.
The movie went on to make more than $330 million at the box office, plus more as the film gained extra notoriety when it was nominated for Best Picture at the 82nd Academy Awards and Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of the Tuohy matriarch, Leigh Anne.
Though the film was a commercial success, it later put a strain on Oher’s relationship with the Tuohy family, as the former NFL player expressed remorse over how the film depicts him — especially the way it frames him as a student who struggled in the classroom.
On Aug. 14, 2023, Oher filed a legal petition to terminate a conservatorship, in which he allegesLeigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy lied about adopting himwhile making millions off his name.
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Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy
D Dipasupil/FilmMagic; Warner Bros Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Sandra Bullock played the Tuohy matriarch, Leigh Anne Tuohy, in the hit film. Though Bullock received critical acclaim for her role, including the Academy Award for Best Actress, she was skeptical about taking on the part initially, thinking the movie would be too sappy.
”I didn’t trust it,”she toldEntertainment Weekly. ”I thought it would be schmaltzy and soft.” However, after spending a day with Leigh Anne, she changed her mind.
02of 06Tim McGraw as Sean TuohyJeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Warner Bros Pictures/Kobal/ShutterstockTim McGrawplayed the Tuohy patriarch, Sean Tuohy, in the movie. Like Bullock, McGraw was hesitant about taking on the role, mostly because he didn’t want to do another sports film followingFriday Night Lights.“I had already done that and I really didn’t want to do a father kind of deal because I’d just doneFlicka,“he told NJ.com. “The script was in a stack I had to read on vacation. I didn’t think I would be interested, and I read it and it stuck with me. I knew Sandra was going to do it and John Lee Hancock was going to direct and all the reasons to do it started adding up and the reasons not to do it didn’t make sense anymore.”
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Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Warner Bros Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
Tim McGrawplayed the Tuohy patriarch, Sean Tuohy, in the movie. Like Bullock, McGraw was hesitant about taking on the role, mostly because he didn’t want to do another sports film followingFriday Night Lights.
“I had already done that and I really didn’t want to do a father kind of deal because I’d just doneFlicka,“he told NJ.com. “The script was in a stack I had to read on vacation. I didn’t think I would be interested, and I read it and it stuck with me. I knew Sandra was going to do it and John Lee Hancock was going to direct and all the reasons to do it started adding up and the reasons not to do it didn’t make sense anymore.”
03of 06Quinton Aaron as Michael OherRoy Rochlin/Getty Images; Warner BrosQuinton Aaron starred as Michael Oher in the film, a role he first auditioned for when he was a student at New York University. In fact, it was his mother who first put him up for the part.“At the time, my mom was acting as my manager,”Aaron toldDallas Observer. “She read to me the breakdown of the character and said, ‘Who does that sound like?’ and I said, ‘That sounds like me.’ I thought it was something she was writing about me to submit me for something. And then she was like, ‘OK, now go back to bed.’ I went back to bed and didn’t think anything of it.” The next day, his mother informed him he had an audition.Though Aaron met Sean and Leigh Anne during filming, he told the publication that he didn’t actually meet Oher until years later. “It was cool,” Aaron recalled of the meeting. “We were actually doing an autograph signing in Chicago. We chatted, went out to dinner and everything. He’s a really cool guy.”For years, Oher has expressed remorse over how the film depicts him — specifically the way it frames him as a student who struggled in the classroom. “I don’t like the movie,“he told ESPN.comin 2016, adding that many people make assumptions about him based on the film before getting to know him.
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Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; Warner Bros
Quinton Aaron starred as Michael Oher in the film, a role he first auditioned for when he was a student at New York University. In fact, it was his mother who first put him up for the part.
“At the time, my mom was acting as my manager,”Aaron toldDallas Observer. “She read to me the breakdown of the character and said, ‘Who does that sound like?’ and I said, ‘That sounds like me.’ I thought it was something she was writing about me to submit me for something. And then she was like, ‘OK, now go back to bed.’ I went back to bed and didn’t think anything of it.” The next day, his mother informed him he had an audition.
Though Aaron met Sean and Leigh Anne during filming, he told the publication that he didn’t actually meet Oher until years later. “It was cool,” Aaron recalled of the meeting. “We were actually doing an autograph signing in Chicago. We chatted, went out to dinner and everything. He’s a really cool guy.”
For years, Oher has expressed remorse over how the film depicts him — specifically the way it frames him as a student who struggled in the classroom. “I don’t like the movie,“he told ESPN.comin 2016, adding that many people make assumptions about him based on the film before getting to know him.
04of 06Lily Collins as Collins TuohyJohn Shearer/Getty Images; Warner Bros.Lily Collins played the Tuohys' eldest daughter, Collins Tuohy, who attended high school with Oher. The film marked Collins' breakthrough role as an actress. In 2019, theEmily in Parisstar reflected on the pivotal role as she documented the film’s 10th anniversary.“10 years ago today, my first film ‘The Blindside’ [sic] premiered,” she wrote at the time,per Fox News. “I’m forever grateful for this experience and the incredible journey it has sent me on. Insane how time flies…”
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Lily Collins as Collins Tuohy
John Shearer/Getty Images; Warner Bros.
Lily Collins played the Tuohys' eldest daughter, Collins Tuohy, who attended high school with Oher. The film marked Collins' breakthrough role as an actress. In 2019, theEmily in Parisstar reflected on the pivotal role as she documented the film’s 10th anniversary.
“10 years ago today, my first film ‘The Blindside’ [sic] premiered,” she wrote at the time,per Fox News. “I’m forever grateful for this experience and the incredible journey it has sent me on. Insane how time flies…”
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Jae Head as Sean Tuohy Jr.
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images; Warner Bros Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
“Some people think I ‘Benjamin Button’-ed it, never aged or went backwards. I think it’s disappointing to someone when I say that’s me. ‘Oh man, I thought you were much smaller and cuter!’ "
He also noted that Bullock’s portrayal of his mother was pretty accurate, to an extent. “She’s much worse in real life than Sandra Bullock was in the movie. That was two hours of my mom. Think about that as a 24-hour day, all the time.”
06of 06Ray McKinnon as Hugh FreezeChris Graythen/Getty Images; Warner Bros.In the film, Ray McKinnon plays Coach Cotton. The character represents Hugh Freeze, who coached Oher at Briarcrest Christian School before becoming the head football coach at the University of Mississippi.Freeze previously told theNew York Postthat he has mixed thoughts on his portrayal in the film.“I sure hope I’m not as goofy as this guy — that was my reaction,” Freeze told the publication. “I don’t think I needed so much guidance in coaching, but at the end of the day the movie is about a young man who receives a chance and a family who puts their faith into action. It changed a person’s trajectory in life. At the end of the day, that’s what I want my coaching to be about.”
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Ray McKinnon as Hugh Freeze
Chris Graythen/Getty Images; Warner Bros.
In the film, Ray McKinnon plays Coach Cotton. The character represents Hugh Freeze, who coached Oher at Briarcrest Christian School before becoming the head football coach at the University of Mississippi.
Freeze previously told theNew York Postthat he has mixed thoughts on his portrayal in the film.
“I sure hope I’m not as goofy as this guy — that was my reaction,” Freeze told the publication. “I don’t think I needed so much guidance in coaching, but at the end of the day the movie is about a young man who receives a chance and a family who puts their faith into action. It changed a person’s trajectory in life. At the end of the day, that’s what I want my coaching to be about.”
source: people.com
