Summary
- Quinton Aaron, who played Michael Oher in The Blind Side, spoke out about the recent controversy surrounding Oher’s claims of manipulation and deception by the Tuohy family.
- Aaron defended Sandra Bullock, expressing that she should not be criticized for her involvement in the film and the controversy surrounding Oher’s claims.
- If Oher’s claims are true, Aaron’s statement that he did not meet the real Oher until four years after production raises concerns about the lack of authenticity and potential deception involved in The Blind Side.
The Blind Side’s Quinton Aaron reacts to the recent controversy surrounding real-life NFL star Michael Oher. The Blind Side, which was released in 2009 to critical acclaim, has been under fire in recent days due to claims from its real-life subject, Michael Oher. Oher alleged that the Tuohy family’s supposed adoption of him was a complete lie. Instead, Oher attests that the family manipulated him into a conservatorship to get business deals.
Aaron, who played Oher in The Blind Side, spoke out about the controversy in a conversation with The Daily Mail. While Aaron did not want to place “blame on anyone,” he mentioned that Oher never visited the set of The Blind Side during its filming, and he did not end up meeting the real Oher until four years after production. However, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy visited set a few times. Aaron also defended lead actor Sandra Bullock, who has been the subject of criticism online since the news about Oher broke. Check out the quote from Aaron below:
“I really feel like being a part of telling your story in this industry and trying to be as hands-on as possible in the process is definitely the way to go. I’m not posting blame on anyone or saying someone should have did this, or someone should have been there. I’m just saying, look, moving forward, I feel like if there’s ever a situation like this, in a way to prevent something like this from happening again, I think that all parties that are relevant to the story need to be involved in the making of the story from beginning to finish.
“It has been crazy, I don’t really know how to put it in words. I don’t know personally anything about this, I learned when I saw the articles yesterday. But having met both parties, you know, obviously my heart breaks for the situation. I was under the assumption, like everybody, that the family was good all these years. So it was just heartbreaking to see that article and my prayers go out to everyone. I’m hoping that it works out for the best. I hope that they can come to some kind of resolve that makes [everything] better.
“Sandra [Bullock] just suffered a loss and everything, so I’m pretty sure she’s probably trying to stay out of the [spotlight] and just handle her situation as best she knows how. I heard some pretty disturbing things people were saying about her, and I’m not behind that. Leave her alone. Don’t come for my mama. I’m six-foot-eight, 400-plus pounds, and you don’t want those problems.”
The Blind Side Scandal Explained
Aaron’s portrayal of events is vastly different from that of Oher. According to Oher’s 14-page petition to the Shelby County court in Tennessee, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy tricked him into signing conservatorship papers less than three months after his 18th birthday. Mislead into believing that they were adoption papers, the then-teenage Oher signed this paperwork, allowing the Tuohys to make business deals in his name.
As a result, Oher claims that he did not make a cent off of his own story’s depiction in The Blind Side, whereas the Tuohys made millions of dollars. If Oher’s claims are true, parts of Aaron’s story actually could corroborate the claims. If the Tuohys truly deceived Oher, and solely profited from his story, it is only logical that they would have kept him off of the set of The Blind Side. Oher may have been the subject of The Blind Side, but he doesn’t seem to have been its benefactor.
Considering how Aaron’s statement may align with Oher’s claims, there is something deeply disturbing about the actor’s depiction of events. If The Blind Side creative team were to make any attempt at realism, they would have made sure that Aaron and Oher had the chance to meet early on during filming. Bullock was given her chance to meet Leigh Anne Tuohy when portraying her onscreen, so it would only be right for Oher to get the same grace. If his petition claims hold up, Aaron’s response makes this Blind Side scandal seem that much more nefarious.
Source: The Daily Mail