International- "The Blind Side" star Quinton Aaron is coming to Sandra Bullock's defense after some called for Bullock to return her Oscar.
- On Monday, Michael Oher, the inspiration for the film, claimed in a legal filing the Tuohy family never adopted him.
"The Blind Side" star Quinton Aaron is coming to the defense of his former costar Sandra Bullock amid calls for her to relinquish her Oscar after Michael Oher, the inspiration for the film, claimed in a legal filing this week that the Tuohy family never actually adopted him.
Bullock won a best actress Oscar in 2010 for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Touhy in "The Blind Side," which followed Oher's journey from the foster care system to NFL stardom. The film is based on a book by journalist Michael Lewis and depicts the Tuohy family adopting Oher. But in documents filed in probate court in Shelby County, Tennessee, on Monday, Oher said the adoption was a lie.
The filing, viewed by Insider, claims that the Tuohys, who invited Oher to live with them when he was in high school, tricked Oher into signing conservatorship papers, which he thought were adoption papers, when he was 18 years old in 2004. Oher alleges that the Tuohys then "exploited him" for their own financial benefit.
The filing claims the conservatorship allowed the Tuohys to have "total control" over Oher's ability to "negotiate for or enter any contract," including the deal for "The Blind Side," as well as Oher's education and medical decisions, despite Oher having no known physical, mental, or emotional disabilities that would necessitate this legal arrangement.
Oher also alleges that he unknowingly signed away his life rights for no money and never profited from "The Blind Side," though the Tuohys negotiated $225,000 and 2.5% of the film's "defined net profits" for themselves and their children. (Sean Tuohy has disputed making millions off the film, telling the Daily Memphian that everybody in the Tuohy family, including Oher, got an equal share of about $14,000 for the film, and an attorney for the family separately claimed that Oher threatened the Tuohys with "negative" press in a $15 million "shakedown" before Monday's filing.)
Amid the controversy, Bullock has been subjected to online hate and calls for her to relinquish her Oscar, both The New York Post and TMZ reported. On Wednesday, Aaron, who played Oher in the film, told TMZ Sports that people on social media need to "chill out" and stop calling for Bullock to relinquish her award.
"To make a statement like that doesn't make any sense. Sandra Bullock didn't have anything to do with the real story," he said, noting that she gave a "brilliant performance" that shouldn't be "tarnished" because of a situation that had nothing to do with her.
Despite the controversy, which Aaron called "not a good turn of events," the actor still believes the movie "changed people's lives," including his own.
However, Aaron said he's "not taking sides" in the legal matter. "I love Michael, I love the Tuohy family," he told the outlet, later offering "support and prayers" to everyone involved in the dispute.
The internet, he said, should just "enjoy the show because it's out there for everyone to see" but leave the actors out of it.
In "The Blind Side," Aaron helped tell Oher's story of growing up in the foster care system as one of 12 children born to a mother with addiction issues. Oher used his determination and athletic ability to overcome his situation, eventually enrolling in a private school in part because of his athletic prowess. The film depicts the Tuohys adopting Oher before his senior year of high school and helping guide him to college where he eventually became a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
Oher has expressed issues with the film since his 2011 book, "I Beat the Odds," in which he said he resented being portrayed as a "dumb" kid who had to be taught the game of football, per NPR.