There are several iconic cameos made in The Blind Side. One very special cameo was made by Michael Oher’s real-life high school football coach from Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Hugh Freeze. Where can you see him in the film?
Hugh Freeze’s time on the big screen occurs when he plays a University of Arkansas assistant, standing behind the real-life Arkansas Razorbacks coach, Houston Nutt. At the time, Freeze no longer worked as the Briarcrest coach but had moved on to Tennessee’s Lambuth University, where he was the head coach of the football team until switching to Arkansas State in 2010.
Memphis
As fans of the movie may know, the film takes place in Memphis, Tennessee. This is also where the story of Michael Oher took place. In the film, Leigh Anne says , “I have been in Memphis my whole life.” But those with a good eye may have noticed something in the film that told otherwise.
In one of the scenes, Leigh Anne and Michael walk past a sign that says “Georgia Lottery PLAY HERE” while at the Big and Tall store. Weird… people in Memphis are definitely not playing the Georgia lottery. That’s because the movie was really filmed in Atlanta Georgia.
Pay Day
As mentioned, Sandra Bullock was reluctant to accept the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy due to religious reasons. However, once she met the real Leigh Anne Tuohy, she actually wanted to play the role so badly, that she even agreed to a pay cut.
Like most Hollywood actors, Sandra Bullock reportedly asked for a set fee to star in the film. This film wasn’t able to offer her what she requested. The other option was to accept a percentage of the film’s profits. Bullock agreed to do this, which turned out to be an excellent financial move considering the film’s profits of $309.2 million in theaters.
"Wonderbar" Blind Side
Before a film’s official release, it is often referred to as its working title. Sometimes, the working title is also used when copies of the movie are sent to theaters. This happens in order to hide the identities of highly-anticipated movies.
In the case of The Blind Side, before it was released, it was given the very vague title of Wonderbar. Wunderbar is a German word for “wonderful.” Were they expecting the 33mm film to be a huge success or were they just sending it off in good, positive spirits?
Family Photos
People from Michael Oher’s real life made several appearances in the film. Even real members of the Tuohy family made minor, but nevertheless, interesting cameos.
In the film, during the scene of the first game, the real S.J. Tuohy can be seen next to Tim McGraw, who played S.J’s father, Sean Tuohy. Since the Tuohys first welcomed Oher into their family, The now-25-year-old has emerged as a successful athlete, journalist, and scholar. Following high school, S.J. got his bachelor's degree in Communications from Loyola University in Baltimore where he also played basketball. After graduating, he decided to pursue a master's degree at Southern Methodist University while also playing football. In 2017, he coached at SMU. Currently, he is a special assistant to the head coach of football operations for the Arkansas Razorbacks.