Sandra Bullock Reportedly Feels The Blind Side Is ‘Tainted,’ But Here’s Why She Is Not

The scandal surrounding former NFL player Michael Oher and his “adoptive” parents Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy has led to a closer examination of The Blind Side, the movie based on their story. In the film, Michael is presented as a foster child with no family and a dangerous, uncertain future until the Tuohys take him in, because they’re just good, honest Christians. It really lays on the white savior tropes, which is a favorite of the Oscar voters.

Superstar actress Sandra Bullock was widely praised for her performance as Leigh Anne, and swept through awards season, winning nearly every Best Actress honor. By the time the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010 came along, she was a lock to win the Best Actress Oscar. But the lawsuit between Oher and the Tuohys has left that win with an asterisk next to it.

Though she’s remained publicly quiet on the situation, the Ocean’s 8 star has reportedly reacted to the controversy privately. The Daily Mail says a source close to the actress revealed that she “‘hates’ that the hard work put into what she believed to be a true story has been ‘tainted.’” Keep in mind that the Daily Mail is a British tabloid that should be taken with a grain of salt. Bullock’s longtime partner, Bryan Randall, recently passed away after battling ALS, so she’s likely concerned with much more important issues than a movie she made 14 years ago.

Some people are calling for the Bird Box actress to return her Oscar. Let me be clear, there’s no reason for Sandra Bullock to give up her award. Plenty of actors have won for playing dishonest characters, so she shouldn’t be punished for someone else’s faults. Plus, if we’re taking back Oscars, there’s a long list of problematic men we need to start with.

If the lawsuit proves that Michael is telling the truth about the Tuohys, and they knowingly misrepresented themselves as the people who saved his life, when they were actually the ones who stole from him, I’m not sure it makes much difference where Bullock or her Oscar are concerned. Let’s be honest, if they didn’t strip Will Smith of his Academy Award after he slapped the hell out of Chris Rock during the ceremony, they’re not going after hers.

There’s a reason movies like this say they’re “based on a true story.” What those words actually mean is “we’ve taken a lot of dramatic license with this boring life story, so only a small part of it is actually true.” Yes, there’s a big jump between adding a speech into a scene and completely rewriting the facts, but the most that will come out of this is The Blind Side being taken out of rotation on TNT. And don’t bet against the Academy awarding Bullock with another Oscar, just so this one can be negated.

And just in case you’re curious, Sandra Bullock was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar alongside Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia; Helen Mirren for The Last Station; Carey Mulligan for An Education; and Gabourey Sidibe for Precious.