Sandra Bullock stars in “The Blind Side,” which is written/directed by John Lee Hancock. The film, which is based on a true story, is released November 20 by Warner.
Sandra Bullock, who stars in the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy, notes, “The beauty of the story is that you think it’s one thing and it turns out to be something else, and those are usually the best things in life. I thought the script was going to be about football until I read it and realized that it’s really about family.”
“The Tuohys opened up their home and their lives, so we felt a great deal of responsibility to do right by their family, and that’s a lot to live up to,” says Bullock. “You want people to be entertained, but you also want them to leave the theatre with a genuine understanding of who these people are. I know that was important to John, who was determined that we not do anything that didn’t ring true. It was one of the things I really liked about working with him; he’s a wonderful filmmaker.”
Bullock read the screenplay and recalls, “It was a beautifully written script. It had all the right beats in all the right places. And I was amazed how John gave every one of the characters such a nice arc…each character has a distinct journey.”
However, Bullock remarks, “John would try to explain her to me, but he’d always fall short. I kept feeling something is missing.”
“Once I saw the whole package, I realized why John couldn’t explain her,” the actress states. “How can you explain that kind of energy? By the end of one day with Leigh Anne, I was exhausted. She manages to do what she wants to do in the manner she wants to do it. She doesn’t care what it takes; she just gets it done her way. All I can say is, if there were more Leigh Anne Tuohys, the world would be a better-run, more harmonious and more productive place…as long as it was by her rules,” she laughs. “It was terrifying to think of playing her, but it was a challenge I couldn’t say no to. She’s such an amazing person.”
Bullock, who is also from the South, notes, “Many people think a Southern accent is a Southern accent, but there are many different ones. But it wasn’t just Leigh Anne’s accent. My dialect coach explained it was also the intent behind her words. Once we figured out the intent on top of the dialect, it helped so much. I wasn’t trying to copy her exactly because then it becomes a caricature, but there is a way she goes about life that you need to pick up on or you’re going to be left behind. So we wanted to capture as much of the essence of Leigh Anne as we could.”
