Hanks Anuku, a renowned Nollywood actor, recently opened up about how a viral video that falsely portrayed him as mentally unstable devastated his career and personal life. The video, which went viral in 2022, showed Anuku dressed in tattered clothes, seemingly talking to himself. This led many to believe that he was mentally unstable, a claim that was vehemently debunked by his colleagues but still caused significant damage.
The Incident
In the viral video, Hanks Anuku appeared in a disheveled state, leading to widespread speculation about his mental health. Shortly after the video surfaced, Nollywood actress Shan George came forward to clarify that Anuku was not insane, as many had feared. Despite George’s efforts to clear his name, the rumors persisted, fueled further by actress Adanma Luke’s counter-claims and an investigation by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN).
New Viral video of actor Hanks Anuku raises concerns
The Truth Behind the Video
In a recent conversation with Facebook content creator Lucky Udu, Anuku revealed that the controversial video was taken on a movie set. He explained that he was preparing for a role as a mentally unstable character, which required him to immerse himself in the environment and get into character through meditation and method acting.
Anuku expressed his anguish over the incident, stating, “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. I had to naturally visit the environment on how I would play it in that same neighborhood. I was just showing the way the director wanted me to do it, meditating and getting into character.”
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The Aftermath
The fallout from the video was severe. Anuku shared that he lost friends, producers stopped contacting him for work, and he faced significant financial loss. “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,” he lamented.
The actor described the emotional toll the incident took on him, saying, “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.”
Hanks Anuku’s story highlights the dangers of misinformation and the far-reaching consequences of viral content. Despite the setbacks, Anuku remains a resilient figure in Nollywood, with many fans and colleagues rallying around him.
For a firsthand account, watch the video below where Hanks Anuku discusses the impact of the viral video on his career: