Hanks Anuku, a renowned Nollywood actor, has shared how a viral video that falsely portrayed him as mentally unstable, ruined his career and caused him personal pain.
A video went viral in 2022 showing the actor dressed in tattered clothes, appearing to talk to himself, with many insinuating he was mentally unstable.
Also read : ‘My depression causes me to drink, but I do not do drugs’ – Hanks Anuku
Shortly after the video surfaced online, Nollywood actress Shan George debunked the claim, stating that Anuku is “not insane” as widely feared.
Adanma Luke, however, countered George’s claim while the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) investigated the matter.
Addressing the incident in a conversation with Facebook content creator Lucky Udu, which went viral on Sunday, Anuku revealed that the video was from a movie set.
The actor said the people circulating the video were trying to destroy his image.
He explained that he was preparing for a role as a mentally unstable character and was getting into character by visiting the environment and meditating.
Anuku lamented the loss of friends, producers, and job opportunities, stating that he was left jobless and feeling isolated.
Anuku added that he went through pain and was “heartbroken” that “someone could do this to me”.
He said, “I was trying to get into character for a role I was going to play, a madman role. Someone who was not in his correct senses or right frame of mind,” he said.
“So I had to go naturally visit the environment on how I would play it in that same neighbourhood. I was just showing the way the director wanted me to do it, meditating and getting into character.
“I lost friends, producers no longer contacted me for jobs. I lost a lot of money, I lost jobs, and I was jobless. People did not care about me. It was God who directed my footsteps to a good soul.
“I went through pain, if you were in my shoes you would feel it. I was heartbroken for these people to do this to me.”
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
