‘The Blind Side’ tells the true story of a homeless African-American kid, taken in by a religious white family–the profound changes effected on all involved, and the boy’s amazing journey to become an NFL football star.  Buzzine’s Emmanuel Itier sits down with an all-star cast and gets the inside scoop:

Emmanuel Itier: You are playing real-life people, but they aren’t people we are used to seeing all the time. How did you go about bringing them to life onscreen? Are you just trying to capture the spirit of them as people, imitate them, or just bring the character forward?

Tim McGraw: I think more the spirit, because I wasn’t trying to imitate anybody. I wouldn’t want to imitate Sean (Tuohy) for anything. I think I could relate to him in a lot of ways. We both grew up in Louisiana, he was an athlete, I was an athlete, although I wasn’t quite the athlete that he was. And also, as a kid – I’m going to give him a few years and say high school – I remember him working for Old Miss. As a kid growing up in Northern Louisiana, we got to see a lot of Old Miss games, and I have a wife (Faith Hill) that runs everything at home. [Laughs] So I think I can relate to Sean in a lot of ways, and the script was so well-written. I really tried to just capture the essence of him, not really try to imitate anybody.

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

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

EI: Sandra, you are having this tremendous career resurgence. It’s not just luck and it’s not accident – you had a big hit this summer with The Proposal. Why do you think that movie clicked so well? Also, what do you look for in a movie role?

SB: With The Proposal, from all the right people, the right elements being in the right place, I think nudity had a great deal to do with it. If I would have not done that, I would have done it a long time ago. And the second part, in picking roles, my way of choosing them is vastly different now than it was a long time ago because I can only be that way now because of what I learned from the past. So I’m choosing now not to choose any work, because when you have had such a nice ride, unsuspected rides and fulfilling rides, you really don’t want to take a step backwards. It really made me satisfied in a way that I wasn’t looking for, but I was blessed with it, and now I feel really full, in a good way, where I don’t need to rush out and go find something. I don’t want to.

EI: When did that change take place exactly — that you no longer have to rush out and look for roles?

SB: The fact that I realized I’m staring at a stack of scripts and I can’t bear to open them — I don’t want to step in that world right now; I want to enjoy where I am. So I think it was over time, probably just having good life experiences that I was actually cognizant of, that I worked in and can remember and was very satisfied with, and I just want to enjoy the ride instead of blasting forward and trying to fill a void that doesn’t exist.

EI: Tim, are you going to get serious about a movie career and give up that country music career?

TM: I’m not going to give up music because it pays my bills. I thought I was serious about this particular acting job. I tried to be, anyway. I have to find things that fit in the same schedule that I have. I only have a few months out of the year that I am available to do something. I was so lucky that something of this great 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.

EI: You couldn’t cancel a tour if a great movie role came around?

TM: I could if I wanted to, but it would have to be something that would be hard to turn down, for sure.

EI: Sandra, what was it about the character of Leigh Anne on the page, before you actually got to meet and work with her, that appealed to you as an actress? Secondly, you talk about being on this ride as an actress, but what about a producer? Do you want to slow down that side as well?

SB: Initially, when I was approached with the film, it’s a beautifully written story — you can see it play out, but I didn’t know how to play Leigh Anne. I didn’t know how approach it or what I could bring to it, so I just kept saying, “No, this is not going to work for me.” And John said, “Well, 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. I had no idea. I didn’t know how to bring that to life and be truthful and do a could job with it. I don’t know at what point I said “Yes.”

EI: How did you know when you were ready to play her?

SB: I don’t know when that was — I don’t recall. I don’t think I ever said “Yes.”

EI: John Lee said it was after the trip to Memphis and that you called him up and said that the role terrified you so you had to play it.

SB: Yeah, but I don’t think I ever really agreed to do it. [Laughs]

EI: What about producing?

SB: To me, producing falls under 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 it. So when I open projects, maybe something will appeal to me, but I think I’m not opening them because I don’t want anything to appeal to me right now. I am so happy where I am right now that I don’t want to be tempted to move from this place I am. I’d just like to be happy where I am, and I think that’s producing and acting right now.

EI: Quinton, I understand you did a lot of training for the film. Also, did you get a chance to meet or speak to the real Michael Oher?

QA: I haven’t had a chance to speak to Michael yet. He’s still a little busy in the NFL, so it’s hard to get away. [Laughs] I’ve been working my behind off to try and look the part, doing two-a-day workouts, seven days a week and following a strict diet plan, which the model of the plan is that if it tastes good, it’s not good for you. [Laughs] That was cruel and unusual punishment.

EI: What was it about this story that really resonated with you?

SB: First of all, it’s a beautifully executed book, especially for someone who has been around football players her whole life and still knew nothing or cared anything about the game. 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, push and inspire. I had a real sense of jealousy that they got to experience that and I never did – as an athlete or someone who is able to be part of that. Even though I didn’t think I could make this movie, the inspiring part of this movie is here is this family that does this and didn’t do it because someone was writing a book or an article or making a movie — they did it because that’s where their instincts said, ‘This is what we are going to do, where we are going do it, and we are going to reach out a hand,” and everyone came and questioned them, of course, because we don’t trust anyone who does anything nice — that’s just the sad world we live in. But (the Tuohys) they didn’t care. They kept going, and it makes you feel like you need to step up your game. So (I figured) whatever wonderful actress is going to play Leigh Anne Tuohy, it’s going to be an inspirational story, a true-life story, that we are capable of so much more than we think we are because we don’t live in a world that supports the good that we can do. They all want it to be something bad so it can sell some papers or a news report.

QA: What attracted me to the role, after reading the script — that was the first time I heard about the story. I didn’t know the story, and it is such an inspirational story that needs to be heard. I wanted to portray him because it’s the story of someone who is here now as opposed to someone who is dead and gone, so he is going to be able to witness what is being said about him, and I think people, after knowing someone’s background and where they come from and seeing the positive things that they’ve done with their life, gain so much respect for that person. I wanted to be a part of bringing his story to light because it is a story that will inspire a lot of youth today, I feel, because 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 in 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 is a way out. That’s what I got from it.

EI: What was it like, Sandra, to work with so many of Atlanta’s local actors when you filmed The Blind Side there?

SB: We just assume that all the great actors are in New York first and then LA second, and it’s so not true. It’s a testament to John and his casting, finding the best people for the role. There’s such amazing talent everywhere, and it’s exciting that now there are these sort of new Hollywoods or new film-making communities that really benefit from these great faces and character actors and leading actors that are just fresh and exciting and bring an authenticity to the piece, but that’s smart casting too.

EI: Quinton, what was it like to work in a movie with actors like Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw?

QA: 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. [Laughs] The first time I met Sandra, it was on Easter Sunday and I was standing outside the room for a couple seconds. I was, “Oh my God, I can’t believe it. Am I sweating? I can’t breathe. The walls are moving.” But I got it together some way and built myself into going into the room. So it was the scene where 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 down to a normal, regular pace and I felt comfortable. She is such a sweetheart, and I’ve loved her for years. I have been a fan of hers ever since…

SB: Don’t say when you were a baby. [Laughs]

QA: Ever since Love Potion #9. I just never imagined working alongside her in a feature film one day. Starring alongside her in a feature film has just been an honor. And then, when I met Tim, he’s real cool. I call him Pops on set because he played the father, but he’s more like an older brother, and he really had a lot of wisdom, knowledge and information that he was very helpful with and that I took from him. He’s a real cool dude to hang out with and get to know. I really enjoyed singing with him on set and hearing him sing, so because of him, I’m a fan of country music.

SB: The caliber of the three children in the film, and that includes Quinton [laughs] — the caliber of working with the three of them was extraordinary. They might not have as many years as we do under our belt, but you would never know that walking on the set. I mean, the love, the joy and the comfort and professionalism that the three of them gave on a daily basis – the hardest part is listening and reacting to what an actor gives you, and they would just 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 are going to accomplish.

EI: Sandra, what kind of impact did Leigh Anne, as a person, have on you or has had on you since doing the movie and playing her? Do you now think, “What would Leigh Anne do in this situation?”

SB: The nice thing is that we get to play these people and get to experience lives that we would normally never come into contact with. One of my biggest questions was how people use their faith and beliefs as a banner, and then they don’t do the right thing. But they go, “I’m a good Christian and I go to church, and this is the way you should live your life.” And I told Leigh Anne in one of our live interviews, I said, “One of my largest concerns at the end of this was that whole banner-holding.” I said, “It scared me 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, and I said, “Wow, I finally met someone who practices but doesn’t preach.”

EI: A final question, Sandra–how did it feel being blond for the movie? Will you go back to being blond?

SB: I like blond highlights. If I did, I would have to change my whole wardrobe. There was a very important person (husband Jesse James) in my life who just didn’t want me being blond, thank God! [Laughs] There was not an appreciation. There was a little person who thought I looked like an angel, and there is a big person that said, “I don’t like the blond on you — take it off,” and you want him to say that, but that’s what’s fun about it.