Sandra Bullock: Im aware that I can be annoying.

I didn’t know anything about Sandra Bullock’s new film, The Blind Side, until I saw a preview for it last night. This one looks good, and I’m not joking. It’s not one of Sandra’s endless romantic comedies. It’s a film based on the true story of Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Bullock), a rich Southern lady with a nice house, a nice husband and two nice kids. She meets a disadvantaged African-American kid and decides to adopt him – he later goes on to become a star athlete and a good student. I have to admit, these sort of “based on the true inspirational story” movies always get me a little misty-eyed. I was actually tearing up during the trailer. Sigh… I love when Sandra plays Southern. Those are her roots! Anyway, the film comes out November 20, and Sandra’s already gearing up her promotional duties. Here’s an excerpt from her Parade cover interview:

Her unexpected passion.
“I like to iron. Ironing is comfort. It’s control. I’m a nutty person who likes to make sure everything is in its place. I am a big ball of high energy and organization and structure. Don’t forget, I’m half-German.”

She may play adorable onscreen, but in real life, she is driven.
“Listen, I know I’m not easy to deal with. I’m controlling, and I want everything orderly, and I need lists. My mind goes a mile a minute. I’m difficult on every single level. I’m aware that I can be annoying.”

Her newest film, The Blind Side.
“It’s a film about people doing something for the betterment of someone else in the world. It deals with the ugly side of racial tension, which is still the truth of the South. I could really identify with my character’s determination and outspokenness. She faces some daunting challenges. I understood the fierce sense of what’s right and wrong that was driving her.”

Just like mom.
“My mom was like that. She had blinders on. She did what she did and didn’t care what people thought. But as a kid, I was like, ‘Oh, dear God, please make her stop and be normal.’ I wanted an ordinary mom. My sister, Gesine, and I were lucky enough to be raised by a mother who did things unconventionally, and a father who was fine with the kids being raised that way. There was no gender in our house. I didn’t realize that I couldn’t do what boys could do, because my dad raised me as a boy.”

Marriage was never on the to-do list.
“I didn’t grow up thinking, ‘I’m gonna get married and have someone take care of me. I always wanted to be happy, have a good time, work hard.”

Serendipity brought Bullock together with husband Jesse James. The two met when she went to his bike shop to introduce him to her godson, who was a fan.
“After that meeting, Jesse tracked me down. I had no intention of going out with him. I said no for a month, but then I got to know him. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but he committed for the long haul.”

Finding a partner for life.
“It’s lucky when you have a partner. It took someone like him who was unafraid. My energy can be daunting. Do you really want to wake up to this at 5 in the morning? Apparently, he did.”

A changed woman.
“I was good at bolting before. I didn’t want to do the work. And I was too selfish to have kids. Now I work at what I love. If I didn’t love him, I wouldn’t be putting in the effort. I do approach things differently now that I’m married. I would never do anything that would harm his heart.”

Falling into step-motherhood.
“The universe put this in our lap. I seemed to have stepped in right when I needed to be there. I now know that anything sweet, really sweet, that I have was nothing that I planned. If you don’t have kids and animals, you don’t truly know what real life is about.”

Embracing her own unconventional nature.
“I never did anything according to what anyone else wanted. That’s why I think I am happy. I do everything 100%–even my stupidest missteps. I know when I’m getting ready to mess up, I’m going to do it full-on. That’s the way I was as a kid. Even into adulthood, I look back at some things and go, ‘I can’t believe I did that.’ But I can also go back and say, ‘I did that, I know I’m responsible for that, and I can make amends,’ and we can all laugh at it, because it’s my mistake. I try not to blame it on anyone else unless I fully know it was their fault–and then I have no problem pointing the finger.

Living with no regrets.
“I have to fight every single day to live my true life. I don’t ever want to come home saying, ‘I should have spoken my mind. I shouldn’t have let someone say something that I didn’t feel was right.’ [But] I have to remember that there’s a balance. I’m in the entertainment business. We’re here to entertain people, to make them laugh and forget.”

[From Parade]

I like Sandra generally (I don’t adore her like many do, but I do genuinely like her), but she sometimes ventures into that self-help-type lingo that leaves me cold. I also think her comments about being a step-mom are interesting, considering many are reporting that her step-daughter’s custody battle is heating up. I won’t put my two cents in about that one, just pointing it out. Anyway, I think this film is a smart move for her, and it looks like a good one if you’re in the mood to have a good cry.

Here’s the trailer for The Blind Side:

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