Actor Hanks Anuku has revealed how viral images falsely depicting him as mentally unstable derailed his acting career and traumatized him.
In 2022, images appeared on social media showing the actor in a seemingly unstable state. His partner and friend, Nonso Ofole, debunked the claim that he was mentally ill, stating that Anuku was “not crazy” as many feared.
However, the actor told PREMIUM TIMES in November 2022 that he was healthy and hinted at a possible run for political office.
He also denied the authenticity of the video, which showed him unkempt and roaming the streets of Asaba and Benin City.
At the time, his colleague, Shan George, debunked the claims and said the video was a scene from a movie being filmed in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Ms. George said the actor played a crazy American returning to be king in the movie “Coming to Onitsha.”
Nearly two years later, the 64-year-old actor, during an interview with content creator Lucky Udu, shared on YouTube on Saturday, said the footage cost him his career.
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He said: “That day, I was trying to adapt to the role I would play: a madman, someone who was not in his right senses or in his right state of mind. So naturally I had to visit the environment to see how I would play it in that neighborhood.
“There are different types of people who go crazy, like loud ones, quiet ones, and all kinds of crazy things that you can’t even express.
“But I had to show it the way the director wanted me to show it. He was meditating and trying to get me into character when someone saw me, took out his phone, took a picture, recorded a video and posted it online, saying something false.
“That video was very helpful. It affected my life. I lost friends. Producers could no longer contact me for jobs. I lost a lot of money. I lost my job. I was unemployed. People didn’t care. It was God who directed my steps towards a good soul. How he did it, I don’t know, but I give him glory and thanks all the time. I went through pain. If you wear my shoes, you will feel it.”
Anuku stated that he did not know that someone was recording him while he was trying to master the role of a madman.
Drug accusations
The Delta-born actor also refuted claims that he was seriously ill and taking hard drugs.
Anuku expressed his anguish over the actions of some Nigerians, noting that he never expected such treatment from people he has made laugh throughout his career.
“They said many things about my health and spread rumors. He wasn’t on drugs or sick. Maybe they saw me depressed. You know, depression can cause stress. But for me being high is not true and I’m not crazy. I am very sane and very healthy. I do a lot of exercise. I do my martial arts exercises.
“I also play a lot of sports: I play basketball, sometimes volleyball. I can take good walks because walking is good exercise. I do many things as a spiritual order. This is what I do, man. It’s a free ride. I don’t come to your house and knock on your door if I’m not invited. I want to be free, man. In the United States you are free. In England you are free,” added the special advisor on tourism and entertainment to the former governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan.
The elder brother of Miss Nigeria 1986, Rita Anuku, who died in 2015, said the allegations caused his friends to distance themselves from him and stop calling him, resulting in stigmatization.
“It was like a spiritual and physical war for me. They left me alone. So as things stand, I’m not alone. I am with Jesus Christ, although my family says negative things about me and some people say that I take drugs. I don’t do hard drugs. I smoked back then, but not anymore.
“I have never used hard drugs. He had self-control. After a while, I got depressed and maybe had to have a drink. What I drink might be a Star beer or a wine. I don’t drink hard liquor, but they just isolated me because I never thought my people would betray me. You know, it hurt me a lot. It’s like what Jesus had done to him through Judas. It’s scary. It is wrong to betray the people who love you.”
tribulations
The student of Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State maintained that after producers and friends abandoned him, his family followed suit.
“They believe the bad part of the story. My immediate family left me alone; They abandoned me and that hurt me a lot. My twin brother, even until now, doesn’t believe that I am not what people say I am. They all just abandoned me. It was not easy.
“On my birthday, those friends I thought I had didn’t come out. Only one, two or three people gave a little bit, enough for me to have a cake baked and buy some drinks for the people who came. I didn’t even know them. Before, my birthday used to be amazing. People just came and did a lot of things, good things. But I guess when they see me now they will change their minds.”
Anuku has appeared in several films, including Broad Daylight, Formidable Force, Bitter Honey, The Captor, Men on Hard Way, Fools on the Run, Desperate Ambition, My Love, Wanted Alive and Rambo, among others.