When Quinton Aaron was cast as Michael Oher in the 2009 film The Blind Side, he was appreciative of the opportunity and knew it was something he couldn’t turn down. While it turned out to be the most successful project of his career, he never imagined things would turn as sour as they have recently.
On Monday (August 14), Michael Oher filed legal documents claiming 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, the family placed him under a conservatorship at 18 years old in what he’s calling a money grab.
The allegations, which were disputed by the Tuohy family, caught everyone by surprise – including Aaron, who described the situation as a ‘sad, unfortunate turn of events’ and admitted to being ‘shocked and completely caught off guard’ in an exclusive interview with The New York Post, published on August 15.
“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,” Quinton Aaron said of Michael Oher and the Tuohy family. He admitted that Oher wasn’t present during the filming process, but they met in 2013 while signing autographs for fans.
"Blind Side" actor Quinton Aaron is speaking about Michael Oher’s lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. @LESTRENTtv has the details. pic.twitter.com/r1AcyjTQV4
— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) August 17, 2023
“We sat around after we finished and he 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.’
And while Aaron knew there were parts of the movie that Oher wasn’t pleased with – citing several past articles where Oher made his opinions known – he never knew it was this bad (neither did Oher). While he took offense to Oher’s criticism of the film, he admitted he wasn’t looking at it from Oher’s perspective.
“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 Aaron Defends Sandra Bullock
Elsewhere in his interview, Quinton Aaron defended Sandra Bullock – who portrayed Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side. Bullock won an Academy Award, Teen Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics Choice Award – which fans are now saying she doesn’t deserve.
PLAYING DEFENSE: Quinton Aaron, who played Michael Oher in the 2009 hit movie “The Blind Side,” is sticking up for his former co-star as controversy swirls. https://t.co/xU7ofkuafb pic.twitter.com/MbRNoqiPTX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 17, 2023
Aaron finds that sentiment preposterous and argued that we now ‘live in a day and age where people are hell-bent on pointing the blame’ – even when the blame is unjustified. He likened it to throwing people in with wolves and urged fans to leave his former co-star alone – adding she’s currently going through a lot.
“Sandra did nothing wrong. That’s my girl and she is going through a really tough time right now. I really feel like they should leave her alone and stop trying to come at her,” Aaron said. “Stop trying to come for Sandra because you’re going to make me mad and they are going to have to come through me!”
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Quinton Aaron went on to admit that the only thing he can do now is ‘pray about it and hope a resolve comes to fruition’ that would benefit both Oher and the Tuohy family. While Bullock – who is still mourning the loss of her husband – has yet to address the situation directly, one source said she’s heartbroken.
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