Nollywood veteran Hanks Anuku has shared how a viral video falsely portraying him as mentally unstable impacted his career and mental health.
In 2022, a disturbing video showing Anuku dressed in tattered clothes and appearing to talk to himself surfaced online, sparking speculation about his mental state. Despite his colleague Shan George’s disclaimer, many, including filmmaker Adanma Luke, insisted that the actor was mentally unstable, prompting the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) to launch an investigation.
In a recent chat with content creator Lucky Udu, Anuku addressed the incident for the first time, revealing that the video was from a movie set. He explained that it was circulated by people trying to tarnish his reputation.
He added that the video caused him personal pain, stressing that he lost friends and was blacklisted by filmmakers.
“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,” Anuku 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.”