Sandra Bullock Justifies Brief Screen Time in 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' (Video)

Peter Kramer/NBC

Two years since her Oscar-winning turn in Warner Bros.’ The Blind Side, Sandra Bullock’s next big screen appearances is actually quite small.

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The A-list actress appeared on NBC’s Today on Thursday, Dec. 15, to promote her new film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and explain why she opted to sign on for a role which only features 24-minutes of screen time.

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“It’s truly this amazing story of this child’s point of view of what happened in his life that was this horribly tragic event,” she said. “And to see it through his eyes is far more, I think poignant and impactful, than to see it through an adult’s eyes.”

Asked why an actress of her status would agree to a smaller part rather than a starring role, Bullock replied: “I’ve already had those moments, I think. I mean, there might be more, I don't know, but I don't know how many moments and opportunities like this there’ll be -- with stories like this, with directors and casts like this -- It’s like the rare moments in life where all the elements are there, and they all come together for some strange or bigger reason.”

“You can’t say no to that,” she added.

The story centers on a young boy, played by Thomas Horn in his first acting role since winning $31,000 on Teen Jeopardy, who loses his father in the September 11^th terrorist attacks. He embarks on a journey to uncover a mystery left behind by his father.

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The film also stars Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, John Goodman and Zoe Caldwell.

Of her young co-star, Bullock admitted that she had no advice to give him.

“You don’t give someone like Thomas Horn advice, because he doesn't need it,” she said. “This isn’t gonna be his sole career. He is destined to do so many things of great worth, not that acting isn’t something of great worth, but he knows what he’s here to do and he has so many interests.”  

“He might only be 13 or 14,” she added, “But he is far more educated, wiser, kind, empathetic than most adults in this room, and I don’t say that as a negative thing, I just say that he is an extraordinary human being and he was given this opportunity it was something he wanted to take and he did not shy away from it from day one. It’s frightening to watch his level of professionalism.”

Watch Bullock’s complete interview with Matt Lauer below.

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