In 2022, a disturbing video surfaced online showing Hanks Anuku dressed in tattered clothes and appearing to talk to himself, leading to widespread speculation that the actor was mentally unstable. Despite Shan George’s attempts to clarify the situation, many, including filmmaker Adanma Luke, insisted on Anuku’s mental instability, prompting the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) to launch an investigation.
Addressing the incident for the first time in a chat with content creator Lucky Udu, Anuku revealed that the video was taken from a movie set. He explained that it was circulated by people aiming to tarnish his reputation. Anuku shared that he was preparing for a role as a madman and was getting into character as directed.
“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.”
He expressed the personal pain caused by the video, noting that it led to losing friends and being blacklisted by filmmakers. “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.”
4o
