Seeing from "The Blind Side"

Put yourself in the worn shoes of homeless teen Michael Oher. This guy's mom was into drugs, dad was awol and, because he was very tall and big for his age, some people were afraid of this gentle giant!  Along comes well-to-do dynamo wife and mom Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family. This Memphis southern belle had a teen daughter in Michael's school and, when she found him alone on the streets, she took him home with her... for good!  Leigh Anne became "mom" to a teen who was considered a throw away and she and her family gave him the love and support he needed to finish school and become an NFL player. (the Blind Side refers to quarterbacks being sacked when they can't see the tackle coming)

Now, in the teen-relatable and heartwarming film The Blind Side, you can see this true story come to life as Sandra Bullock steps into Leigh Anne's pumps, singer/actor Tim McGraw plays her affable husband Sean and young Lily Collins plays her teen daughter. Quinton Aaron is Michael. The talented young actor is also a big guy and can relate to a few of the real Michael's problems.  We sat down in Beverly Hills to talk with these actors about bonding as a family and bringing this fun and touching story to the screen. Also with us were the real Leigh Anne and hubby Sean.

Leigh Anne talks of a call she got from Michael recently. Although the football star's young life was a struggle, he told his adoptive mother, "Mom, people are seeing the trailer (for the movie) and crying. Don't they know it has a happy ending?". Dad Sean says that Michael focuses on the "now" in his life. He wouldn't remember what he was like years ago.  He's not thinking of the past or the future. He's concentrating on football.

TeenHollywood: You’re playing real people so do all of you try to imitate or just capture the person's spirit?  

Tim: I wasn’t really trying to imitate anybody, I wouldn’t want to imitate Sean for anything. I think that I can relate to him in a lot of ways. We both grew up in Louisiana, I was an athlete, he was an athlete, although I wasn’t quite the athlete that he was. Also, as a kid, I remember watching him play for Ole Miss and I also have a wife that runs everything at home (everybody laughs about this reference to Faith Hill), so I think I can relate to Sean in a lot of ways, and the script was so well written I just wanted to capture the essence of it and not really try to imitate anybody.

Quinton: Me and Michael have a lot of similarities as far as our personalities, We’re both gentle giants, we keep to ourselves, we were both the biggest kids in our school. I hadn’t met him, so I didn’t want to try to overact or anything, John Lee (director John Lee Hancock), my coach, he made me feel comfortable with being myself in the role, so I just tried to put myself in the positions that he was in, based off the script, and do the best I could.

Sandra: That’s a tough one because I do think that I tried to get as close (as I could). I mean, you don’t meet an energy like Leigh Anne’s ever, she might not be famous here, but she’s known in other places and I felt a great sense of fear in trying to tackle that person she is, but also a great sense of obligation to be true to this wonderful dynamic woman. John could not explain Leigh Ann to save his life, and when I met Leigh Anne, I said, ‘Now I know why you can’t, because she’s original.’ But there’s such a dynamic that exists between those people and their children that you wanted to pay homage to them, I wanted to do it as closely as I could, so I did my best.

TeenHollywood: Tim, you are really good in this so are you going to give up music and just act at some point?

Tim: I’m not going to give up music because it pays my bills. I have to find things that fit in a time schedule that I have. I only have a few months out of the year that I’m available to do something, and so I was so lucky that something this great and of this quality of people to work with came along at a time that I was available to work. But I’m not going to give up music, no.

TeenHollywood:  Sandra, what was it about the character of Leigh Anne on the page, before you got to meet her and work with her, that appealed to you as an actress?

Sandra: Initially, when I was approached with the film, it was a beautifully written story, you could see it play out. I did not know how to play Leigh Anne, I didn’t know how to approach it or what I could bring to it, so I just kept saying, ‘No, this is not going to work for me.’ Then John said, ‘One of our meetings, why don’t you just come meet Leigh Anne?’ So I met Leigh Anne for the whole day and I left there completely exhausted because of the energy she has, but in love with this human being, and who she is at this time on the planet. But I still didn’t know how to play her, had no idea. I didn’t know how to bring that to life and be truthful and do a good job with it. I don’t know at what point I said yes, but after that.

TeenHollywood: And you are a producer on the movie as well. Is that because you felt deeply about the story?

Sandra: To me the producing falls into the same as acting, it requires so much time out of your life, and I take it very personally, I realize, so, if I do something, it just has to be something I love and I don’t want anyone else to do.

TeenHollywood: Quinton, did you speak to Michael? And how about your training for this? I understand you really trained hard for this.

Quinton:  Mo I haven’t had a chance to speak to Michael yet, he’s been a little busy in the NFL, it’s hard to get away. I’ve been working my behind off to try to look the part, doing two workouts a day, seven days a week and following a strict diet plan, which the model of the plan was, if it tastes good it’s not good for you. That was cruel and unusual punishment (we laugh).

Tim: We didn't get to bond too much with Quinton.  We went home and he went to training.

Lily: I snuck him a chicken fried steak (Quinton makes a "yum" gesture).  

TeenHollywood: For Sandra and Quinton, what was it about this true story that really grabbed you the most?

Sandra:  First of all, it was a beautifully executed book. By the end of the book I was in such awe of what it takes to be an athlete and what the coaches contribute to these children’s lives, and how they support and push and inspire. Here’s this family that does this (takes Michael in) and didn’t do it because someone was writing an article or a book or making a movie, but did it because we’re going to give love and reach out a hand. Everyone came and questioned them, of course. We don’t trust anyone who does anything nice. That’s just the sad world we live in. But they didn’t care, and they kept going and it makes you feel like you need to step up your game. So whatever wonderful actress was going to play Leigh Anne Tuohy, it was going to be an inspirational story.

Quinton: The script was the first I had heard about the story. I didn’t know the story, and it’s such an inspirational story that needs to be heard, so I wanted to portray it one, because it’s a story about someone who’s here now, as opposed to someone who is dead and gone so he’s going to be able to witness what’s been said about him. And, I think people, after knowing someone’s background, where they came from, and seeing the positive things they’ve done with their life, gain so much more respect for that person. I wanted to be a part of bringing his story to light, because it will inspire a lot of our youth today.

TeenHollywood: What is the "message" they'll get?

Quinton: It tells you that basically no matter how hard of a background you come from, you don’t have to turn to guns and violence and end up in jail or the morgue, just because of how bad you had it. Everyone goes through things but they’ve got to know that it’s not going to last forever, and there’s a way out. That’s what I got from this.

TeenHollywood: Quinton and Lily, what was it like for you to walk on the set with experienced actors like Sandra and Tim and what are you taking away from this experience?

Quinton: It’s been a dream working on this set, at the same time my heart rate has reached levels I didn’t know was possible for a person to stay alive. The first time I met Sandra was on Easter Sunday and going to the room, I’m standing outside the room for a couple of seconds, like, ‘Slow down, stop sweating, oh my God. I can’t breathe, the walls are moving,’ and I got together in some kind of way and built myself up to go in the room, and as soon as she [saw] me she came to me and gave me the hug that said, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen you in years, how have you been?’ At that point my heart rate went back to a regular, normal pace and I felt comfortable. She’s just such a sweetheart, I’ve loved her for years. I’ve been a fan of hers ever since –

Sandra: Don’t say since you were a baby! (we laugh)

Quinton: Love Potion Number Nine. And I just never imagined being able to star alongside of her in a feature film one day, and it’s just been an honor. And then when I met Tim, this guy, he’s real cool, I called him 'pops' on the set because he plays the father, but he’s more like an older brother to me. He really had a lot of wisdom and knowledge and information he was very helpful with, that I took from him and he’s a real cool dude to hang out with and get to know and I enjoyed singing sometimes on the set with him and hearing him sing. Because of him, I’m a fan of country music now.

TeenHollywood: And for you, Lily?

Lily: It was kind of scary how much and how quickly we all bonded in the family. The second I met Sandy it was like there was the mom on set and yet so unpredictable (laughter). Or maybe that was the Leigh Anne coming out. Then Quinton, I saw him when I was walking into the hotel and he turns around and goes 'Are you playing Collins?' "You must be playing Michael' and he gives me the hugest hug. And was like 'that's it.  I'm your bodyguard'. He protected me.  I protected him (we laugh because she is so petite and he's huge!) There are ways I can protect him. Then with Tim, he was on set giving me guy advice on my lovelife. Walking on a set with the caliber of people like that was intimidating but when they are making fun of you before you even started working, you're like 'okay. This is going to be fun'.

Sandra: Can I interject? The love and the joy and the comfort and the professionalism that these (young actors) gave on a daily basis (was amazing).  The hardest part is listening and reacting to what an actor gives you, and they would floor me. I’m so excited to see what they do with their lives and their craft, because if this is where they are now I cannot imagine what they’re going to accomplish.

TeenHollywood: Besides Leigh Anne's great attitude and warm personality, you got to wear great wardrobe in the film.  Did you copy her clothes?

Sandra: How about that wardrobe! Hello! Everything I wore was what Leigh Anne wears. Every design label was what Leigh Anne would wear. Every make-up was from her pallet, her watch was her watch, her nightgown was her nightgown. I remember going, ‘John (the director), you’ve got to e-mail Leigh Anne and ask her what nightgown she wears.’ And you see John going, ['no'] because he knew what the reply was going to be. All he gets back from Leigh Anne is, ‘Ya’all need to get a life.’

TeenHollywood: Are you going to go back to being blond?

Sandra: I like blond highlights, but I needed to have the whole thing. I would have to change my whole wardrobe. There’s a very important person in my life who just didn’t want me being blond, thank God (we assume her husband Jesse James). Thank God, there was not an appreciation, there was a little person who thought I looked like angel, but then there was a big person that said, ‘I don’t like the blond on you, take it off.’ And you want him to say that, and that’s what’s fun about it.

TeenHollywood: Let's ask the real Leigh Anne, what do you hope audiences will take away from the movie?

Leigh Anne: That Michael was basically homeless on the streets of Memphis and society had deemed him valueless. You take a child or individual in and you love them and clothe them and feed them and give them a home to live in and they feel secure and happy, it has a life-changing effect on them. I think you look at Michael now, he's not the person he was when we first met him.  He's confident. He walks in a room and commands an audience and he's successful.  I sound like the proud mom but he's done an amazing thing.  How many more Michael Ohers are walking on the street? Any kid or individual you walk by could be the next teacher of the year or know the cure for cancer and society has deemed them valueless.

TeenHollywood: How can we all help change that?

Leigh Anne: We need to do something about foster care and the homeless kids in the United States. There is a huge need for it. I hope people will leave this movie and (do something). They'll say 'oh, I can't do something like that'. You have to do something little and do it well.  You don't have to go out and bring a child into your home.  That's not what's required but you can do something. Everybody is capable of doing something. Whatever your something is, do it well. Make a difference.