Sandra Bullock won her first OscarSandra Bullock received an Oscar for her role as Leigh Anne Tuhoy in the film the "Blind Side" (2009), where she plays a Caucasian wife and mother of two children, who adopts a homeless African-American teenager she then helps to succeed in school and in football.
Bullock, who is known through films such as "Speed" (1994) and "The Lake House" (2006), accepted her speech with gratitude.
"I would like to thank the Academy for allowing me in the last month to have the most incredible ride with rooms full of artists that I see tonight and that I've worked with before and I hope to work with in the future, who inspire me and blaze trails for us."
Since the film is based on a true story, Bullock also thanked the real family Tuhoy who adopted Michael Oher (the main character in the film "Blind Side"), who now is an American football offensive tackle of the Balitmore Ravens of the National Football League.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play the mother of your family. This gave me the opportunity to do something different."
When Sandra Bullock talked about her missed opportunity to thank her German mother Helga Bullock, a former opera singer who died in 2000, for all the things she had done for her, tears filled her eyes.
"I would like to thank what this film is about for me which are the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from. Those moms and parents never get thanked. I, in particular, failed to thank one. So if I can take this moment to thank Helga B. for making me practice every day when I got home. Piano, ballet, whatever it is I wanted to be. She said to be an artist, you had to practice every day, and for reminding her daughters that there's no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love.... Thank you!"
written by Simone Kussatz
Photo by Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.
