The actor who portrayed Michael Oher in The Blind Side has reacted to the lawsuit filed by the retired NFL player claiming that they lied about adopting him.
The 2009 sports drama film, which is based on the 2006 book of the same name by Michael Lewis, tells the story of Oher who overcame a life in poverty to play in the National Football League with the help of his adoptive parents, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy.
It stars Quinton Aaron as Oher, Tim McGraw as Sean and Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne, who won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.
But the heartwarming and wholesome story told in The Blind Side was tarnished this week as it was revealed that Oher is suing the Tuohys - who have an estimated net worth of $75 million - for lying about adopting him and for making him sign a document to prevent him from making money off the film.
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Oher petitioned a Tennessee court with allegations that a central element of the film's plot was 'concocted by the family to enrich themselves at his expense' - namely, his adoption.
The NFL star also claimed that the adoption never actually took place and that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy simply 'tricked him' into signing a document making them his conservators. This, in turn, allowed the pair to have legal authority to make business deals in his name.
The Tuohys and their two birth children went on to receive '$225,000' plus '2.5 percent' of the film's 'defined net proceeds'.
The Tuohys have denied any wrongdoing, with Mr Tuohy telling The Daily Memphian: "No question, the allegations are insulting. But, look, it's a crazy world.”
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Now, Quinton Aaron has shared his thoughts about the ‘heartbreaking’ news, revealing that Oher never came to set while the Tuohys visited several times.
The 39-year-old actor told the Daily Mail: "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.”
Aaron didn’t meet Oher until some four years after the film came out, in 2013. He said he was ‘under the assumption’ that the Super Bowl champion and the Tuohys had a good relationship.
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“It has been crazy, I don't really know how to put it in words,” Aaron shared. “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.”
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, Michael Oher, The Blind Side, US News