Michael Lewis, the author behind the book that became the movie The Blind Side, has sounded off to The Washington Post about the controversy that now surrounds it.
As reported, Michael Oher [OR], the formerly homeless former NFL star whose life story made up the book and the film, filed a petition against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, claiming they tricked him into a conservatorship and shorted him millions.
The couple, who were respectively played by Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock in the movie, vehemently denied Oher’s claims.
To the paper, Lewis first denied that anyone involved in the film behind the scenes received “millions” from the hit. “Everybody should be mad at the Hollywood studio system,”the author expressed.
“Michael Ohershould join the writers strike. It’s outrageous how Hollywood accounting works, but the money is not in the Tuohys’ pockets,” he said.
According to Lewis,20th Century Fox paid $250,000 for the rights to his book, The Blind Side, and he split that 50-50 with the Tuohy family. The Tuohys maintained the monies they made were split between all of their family members, including Oher.
Further, the author clarified he took home around $70,000 for optioning the story that became the film — which was eventually distributed by Warner Bros. — and the parents received $350,000 each, splitting up royalties amongst their family members, Oher included.
However, according to Lewis, Oher apparently began declining his royalty checks. When that happened, the author explains, the parents put the money into a trust fund for Oher’s son.
Lewis lamented, “They showered him with resources and love. That he’s suspicious of them is breathtaking. The state of mind one has to be in to do that — I feel sad for him.”
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