The Blind Side star Quinton Aaron, who portrayed Michael Oher in the 2009 biopic, is calling out people who called for Sandra Bullock to lose her Best Actress Oscar in light of Oher's petition.
In an interview with TMZ, Aaron was asked for his thoughts on people calling for Bullock to have her Oscar for the portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy—who Oher accused of tricking him into signing away his rights—revoked. "We live in a society today where people are so hellbent on pointing blame on people, and to make a statement like that doesn't make any sense," replied Aaron. "Sandra Bullock didn't have anything to do with the real story. ... That's like [saying] that she slapped me, so she should give her Oscar back. No pun intended to the Oscar thing that happened. ... I think people just need to chill out, relax."
In a petition filed in Shelby County, Tennessee this week, former NFL player Oher said that he was never legally adopted by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, despite their claims. He is looking to end their conservatorship over him, which he said they told him was essentially the same as adoption but in reality, allowed them to profit off of his likeness and labor.
Since the news broke, people on Twitter have called for Bullock to lose her Oscar or just give it up.
However, there have also been those laughing off the completely ridiculous suggestion, especially as Oher only realized he was tricked into signing away his rights earlier this year.
Elsewhere in the TMZ chat, Aaron remained diplomatic on the situation.
"Honestly, I didn't know what to think. It's news to me," Aaron said of Oher's recent claims against the Tuohys. "It's not a good turn of events, you know. This movie inspired so many people, [it] changed people's lives. Mine included. I feel for everyone involved. Not taking sides, I love Michael. I love the Tuohy family. ... I haven't been in communication with them since the movie, honestly. So, I'm not sure what to make of what's going on."
An attorney representing Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy claimed that Oher attempted to "shakedown" the couple for $15 million prior to filing the petition. In a statement provided top People, their attorney Martin Singer said the couple "opened their home to Mr. Oher, offered him structure, support, and most of all, unconditional love." They said that he threatened to "plant a negative story about them in the press unless they paid him $15 million," and that he's attempted to "run this play several times before" but was "stopped" after lawyers saw "evidence" disproving his claims.
"Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that the outlandish claims made by Michael Oher about the Tuohy family are hurtful and absurd," Singer continued. "The idea that the Tuohys have ever sought to profit off Mr. Oher is not only offensive, it is transparently ridiculous."
