TEXAS CITY — To hear Sue Hancock tell it, for years her husband asked their son, film director John Lee Hancock Jr., when he was going to make a football movie. Today, that football movie is in theaters.
Hancock, a Texas City native, said his latest endeavor, “The Blind Side,” which he wrote and directed, is more than a football movie. It’s about family and helping others and overcoming stereotypes and obstacles.
All traits his late father embodied, Hancock said.
The film’s credits are impressive. Golden Globe nominee Sandra Bullock, Oscar winner Kathy Bates and country music superstar Tim McGraw are in the cast.
Hancock made a name for himself directing “The Rookie” and “The Alamo,” as well as writing the screenplays for “A Perfect World” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
But it is the very last credit of “The Blind Side” that Hancock may cherish the most.
It’s a dedication to John Lee Hancock Sr., his father and former Texas City football and swim coach who died in September.
“This is a movie he would have loved,” Hancock said as he prepared for the premier of the movie in New York earlier this week.
“My dad is kind of steeped in all of this for me and this process. There is a dedication to dad at the end of the movie because his spirit is kind of all over everything I am involved in with the movie.”
All those years spent hanging out in locker rooms and having a coach for a dad helped Hancock relate better to some of the guest stars of “The Blind Side,” including former Notre Dame and South Carolina head football coach Lou Holtz, University of Alabama and former LSU coach Nick Saban, former University of Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer, former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville and Tennessee assistant head coach and former Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron.
“Being a coach’s son, it is amazing how they took to me,” Hancock said. “When they heard, ‘Oh your dad is a high-school football coach,’ it was all good.”
Despite his appreciation for sports movies and success with directing “The Rookie,” Hancock said he wasn’t necessarily drawn to “The Blind Side” because of the football element. In fact, his first reaction was to shy away.
“I never thought I would do a sports movie, as much as I like them,” Hancock said. “I had already done ‘The Rookie’ and Hollywood is a place that is desperate to get rid of you. So no one wants to be pigeonholed.”
As a fan of author Michael Lewis, who wrote the book, the movie is based on, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” Hancock gave the book a read and quickly realized there was more than a sports movie in those pages.
“It really is not a sports movie, necessarily,” Hancock said. “It has a sports engine to it, but it’s an unconventional mother/son story.
“All the best sports movies are ultimately relationship dramas. This is certainly one of those.”
“The Blind Side,” is the true story of Michael Oher, an African-American teen who found a home and, eventually, football stardom, after being adopted by a wealthy Memphis family.
Oher, played in the movie by Quinton Aaron — who was found through a nationwide search — goes from a practically illiterate teen to a star football player and a first-round NFL draft pick.
The family that adopted him, Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Bullock) and her husband, Sean, (portrayed by McGraw) are also changed along the way.
Coming from a sports background helped Hancock in other ways, as well.
“There are so many people in Hollywood that get sports only from a fan perspective,” he said. “To understand how practices or games actually occur, as much as they are fans, they aren’t really knowledgeable.
“Starting with my dad, that was a real benefit in terms of both ‘The Rookie’ and this movie.”
Hancock had hoped to have the movie transferred to a DVD for his dad to watch, but Coach Hancock died before the disc could be made.
Still, his mom, sister, brothers and other family friends will see the film this weekend, but not at any Hollywood of New York premier. They’ll watch it at the movie theater in Texas City.
They’ll also be the ones staying until that very last credit and dedication rolls across the screen.
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John Lee Hancock Jr.
Age: 52
Education: 1975 graduate of Texas City High School
English and law degrees from Baylor University
Movies
The Blind Side — released today*
The Alamo — 2004*
The Rookie — 2002*
My Dog Skip — 2000#
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil — 1997+
A Perfect World — 1993+
Hard Time Romance — 1991*
TV
Falcone — 2000#
L.A. Doctors — 1998#*
* Writer and director
# Producer
+ Writer
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Director's Notes
Texas City native John Lee Hancock wrote the screenplay and directed “The Blind Side.”
Would you rather direct or write a movie?: “If I had to choose, I would choose writing over directing because I can’t imagine directing movies back-to-back and spending so much time with so many people. In some ways, I really enjoy an office and being by myself and coming up with stories.”
Do you enjoy the process of promoting a movie?: “Not so much. This is a movie I am very proud of, we have all worked hard on it and I am very proud to present it so it is worth every second. It’s not necessarily what I would do without the movie. My life is not my own until the movie comes out.”
Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy: “Sandra is the most professional actor I have ever worked with. A total pro and a lovely person. She was a partner in this, she really was. We worked hard together and kept each other in check. We were always talking about scenes and talking about dialogue in trying to keep this train on track. She is so, so talented. She is a gifted person.”
Tim McGraw as Sean Tuohy: “It was pretty hard to think of a Sean Tuohy because he is a guy with a wife who is so Type A and an overachiever that Sean Tuohy could become wallpaper quickly. We needed someone who had a confident swagger. So I said I was going to get an ex-athlete from the South who has a swagger and a sense of humor and who is wry, and that seemed to me to be Tim McGraw.”
Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher: He has limited acting experience. He grew up in Georgia before moving to the Bronx, N.Y. He was cast in the role after a nationwide search. “It’s hard to find someone of that stature to play that age that is athletic and can, most importantly, be that gentle giant. We brought him out to (Los Angeles) to read, and I thought he was magical. This is a coming-out party for Quinton.”
