A WEEK is a long time in politics, so the saying goes. But in the world of show business, one week back in March must have felt like a lifetime for Sandra Bullock. The month began with the sassy actress riding the crest of a wave. Earning rave reviews for her performance in the inspirational true story of good samaritan Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side, Sandra had already been presented with a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award.

But the ultimate acting accolade was still to come when, on the first weekend in March, Sandra won the Oscar for Best Actress. She was the talk of the town at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, charming the audience with her witty and self-deprecating acceptance speech.

Within a week of the glitzy ceremony, however, she was the subject of talk of a very different nature. From the ultimate professional high the 45-year-old fell to a shattering personal low when it was revealed that her husband of five years, motorcycle enthusiast Jesse James, had cheated on her with a model. In the days that followed other women emerged with more allegations.

The lurid headlines came as a complete shock to Sandra, who just a few weeks before had used the platform of one of her numerous award-winning speeches to say, “I love him so much” when speaking of 40-year-old Jesse.

She previously described her husband as “an extraordinary human being. One of the most talented people I have ever met in my entire life and a great father and amazing husband,” and seemed blissfully content with all aspects of her life.

The public humiliation was enough to send the actress into hiding, pulling out of a round of premieres and promotional interviews ahead of the European release of The Blind Side.

And there she stayed for three months, with fresh allegations about her husband surfacing on an almost daily basis, and news stories that she’d filed for divorce and adopted a baby boy, until Sandra stepped back into the limelight once again to collect a Generation Award at last month’s MTV Movie Awards near her home in California.

The gong was to recognise her achievements in film over the past two decades and she was the first female ever to receive this lifetime achievement honour from MTV.

After the personal trauma of the last few months it was time for Sandra, who has risen to become one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood in recent years, to face the world again.

She can draw inspiration from the woman she portrayed so candidly in The Blind Side.
The film, a true-life story of a rich deep south family who take in a homeless black teenager and help him progress to become an American football star, is released on DVD later this month.

“I sometimes ask myself W-W-L-A-D? What would Leigh Anne do?” says Sandra, who turned down the role three times before signing up. “You don’t meet an energy like hers ever.”

Sandra was already known for her humanitarian work before making the movie, once donating $1 million to the Indian Ocean Tsunami appeal and also pledging a large, undisclosed, sum to the re-building of a school in New Orleans that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

But it was no coincidence that shortly after completing her work on The Blind Side the Virginian-born actress, the daughter of a German opera singer, adopted a baby boy, six-months-old Louis Bardo Bullock.

“Leigh Anne has no idea the path she has begun in terms of adoption and fostering. It hasn’t been at the forefront of people’s minds but it’s at the forefront of mine every day when I get up and I hope it will be the same for everyone who sees the movie. 

“I look around at children now and wonder what their situation is and I want to help. And it’s all because of this family. I don’t think the Tuohys realise the profound effect that their story is going to have on making people aware of the subject of adoption and foster care.”

Leigh Anne was driving home one winter’s night when she passed teenager Michael Oher (played by Quinton Aaron), walking along the sidewalk in just a T-shirt and shorts. She recognised Michael from her daughter’s high school class, but wasn’t aware at the time of the already incredible journey that had got him there.

Michael was one of 12 children born to Michael Williams Senior and Denise Oher. His mother was addicted to crack cocaine and his estranged father spent time in prison before being murdered while his son was a senior in high school, one of 12 schools Michael attended.

Michael alternated between various foster homes and periods of homelessness, before he was 16 years old.

But his sheer size (he now stands 6 ft 4 and weighs more than 22 stone) made him stand out from the crowd and attracted the attention of the American football coach at the private Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis. Even though he had barely played the game, the eager coach helped Michael apply for a scholarship at the exclusive school.

While that was giving him an education during the day it still left him living on the streets at night, which is where Leigh Anne picked him up and took him home.

Realising he had nowhere else to go, the one night became a week, then a month and finally resulted in adoption. With the support of a stable home life, Michael excelled at high school football and graduated to college and finally the professional ranks of the NFL.

He was signed on a five-year, $13.8 million contract by the Baltimore Ravens and was ever present in his rookie year, a rare feat in American football.

Sandra admits her initial concerns about depicting the character stemmed from Leigh Anne’s beliefs as a strict Christian and Republican party supporter, neither standpoints which the actress supports (indeed there is a joke in the film that the Tuohys have never had a Democrat in their house before).

Sandra is now in no doubt that, in depicting their story, the Tuohy family has enriched her life.

“The nice thing as an actor is that we get to play these people and to experience lives that we would normally never come in contact with. My biggest concern before signing up for the movie was how people use their faith and their religion as a banner and then they don’t do the right thing.

“They say ‘I’m a good Christian and I go to church and this is the way you should live your life,’ and then don’t adhere to that themselves. I told Leigh Anne that was the one thing that scared me about stepping into this because I’ve had experiences that haven’t been great. I don’t buy a lot of people who use that as their shield.

“And she was so open and honest and forthright. I said, ‘Wow, I’ve finally met someone who practises but doesn’t preach. We’re so quick to tell people how to live their lives and I’m so lucky that I’ve been able to stay on my path, even though I’ve deviated sometimes but it didn’t really matter. 

“Then you meet someone who blazes trails and they do it as a family. They took Michael in for no benefit other than because they wanted to reach out, lend a hand. And had no idea that they would get a son in return.”

Sandra The Shadow

LEIGH ANNE TUOHY was just as excited by being played by Sandra Bullock as the actress was inspired by playing her.

“I was a bit thrilled,” she smiles. “The whole process was a rollercoaster ride. I mean, I would hear a name and I’d go, “Uh.” And I’d hear a name and I’d go, “Oh, yeah.” I’d hear another, “Oh, no.” So, I kept hearing all these names. 

“And finally John (the director) called one night and said, ‘I think Sandra Bullock is going to do this.’ And I said, ‘Really? That’d be awesome.’ And I’ll tell you this, the lady is dedicated to her work — my family named her The Shadow. She wanted to do it with integrity and character and class. And she did a great job with it.” 

Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Leigh Anne works as an interior designer. She has been married to husband Sean, owner of over 80 fast food franchises in the Tennessee area, for over 25 years and, in addition to Michael, they are parents of daughter Collins and son Sean Jr. 

“What we’d like people to take away from this film is that Michael was basically homeless on the streets of Memphis and society had deemed him valueless. You take a child in, you love them, clothe them, feed them, give them a home to live in, and they feel secure and happy. It has a life-changing effect on them. 

“I think that when you look at Michael now, he’s not the person he was when we first met him. He’s confident and when he walks into a room he commands an audience. And he’s successful.

“How many more Michael Ohers are walking on the street? You don’t know whether any kid or individual that you walk by could be the next teacher of the year or know the cure for cancer.

“So, we need to do something about foster care and homeless kids. There’s a huge need for it. I now know a lot more Democrats and I’m getting ready to wear them out about legislation,” she laughs.