Actor Quinton Aaron, who portrayed NFL star Michael Oher in the Hollywood blockbuster movie The Blind Side, which is his greatest role so far, describes the rift between Oher and the Tuohy family as a “sad, unfortunate turn of events.”
The Blind Side, which grossed more than $300 million, is based on Oher’s life, which goes from rags to riches.
The film was loved by many and became a huge hit, but Oher wasn’t very pleased with it because he believed it didn’t portray the real story of how he became a star after struggling for so many years.
“The movie’s great, very inspiring,” he said. “The football part is the only part I have a problem with. Sports was all I had when I was growing up – it made me look like I just didn’t know anything.”
He believed that the film negatively affected his career.
“I’m not trying to prove anything,” he told ESPN. “People look at me, and they take things away from me because of a movie. They don’t really see the skills and the kind of player I am. That’s why I get downgraded so much, because of something off the field.
“This stuff, calling me a bust, people saying if I can play or not … that has nothing to do with football. It’s something else off the field. That’s why I don’t like that movie.”
Now, Oher’s suing the family which took him in, claiming they had raked in millions of dollars in movie royalties over the years, while he made nothing despite the movie being based on his life story.
Oher’s lawsuit states that Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy never actually adopted him and falsified the story in order to make it more appealing in the movie. Instead, they placed him under a conservatorship at 18 years old in what he’s calling a money grab.
Quinton Aaron says learning of the rift between the former athlete and his family is shocking. “I got a good sense from all of them,” he said of the time he met all of them, adding: “They were real cool to me.”
“I can say just from my personal experience from meeting with both parties, I have the utmost respect for all of them over the years,” the actor adds.
“We sat around after we finished and [Oher] was telling me that people were calling him my name, and I told him everywhere I went, people were calling me Big Mike,” he said – referring to Oher’s popular nickname. As for the Tuohy’s, he described them as ‘very warm’ and said they welcomed him with ‘open arms.’
“But after looking back at it through his eyes and putting myself in his shoes, I can see why he felt the way he did. His frustration had nothing to do with me because I played a part, I didn’t produce, write or direct it. We never got a chance to have that conversation, unfortunately,” Quinton said of Oher’s initial criticism.
Quinton also criticizes those bringing Sandra Bullock, who portrayed Anne Tuohy and received an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, into the drama to “looters” who show up to a riot just to “cause havoc” and ask from her to return the award.
“Go sit in the corner, face the wall, and think about what you just [said],” Quinton said. “One has nothing to do with the other. Sandra didn’t pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Sandra didn’t create this, you know what I mean? She’s an actress who got paid to do a job. She did it very well and she was recognized for her talents. Why do you take that away from her? My mom used to always tell me, ‘Think before you speak,’ and now I know why.”
Bullock has not commented regarding the news of Oher’s lawsuit. At the time being, she’s still mourning the loss of her partner of many years, Bryan Randall.
