How some Nollywood colleagues blackmailed me, ruined my career – Hanks Anuku

Hanks Anuku has spoken about the challenges he faced in Nollywood, citing “envy, jealousy, and diabolism” as major obstacles to his career.

In a recent interview on the Nollywood Hardcore podcast, the 64-year-old actor alleged that some of his colleagues blackmailed him without provocation, while others resorted to diabolical means to hinder his success.

Anuku claimed that film directors and executives conspired against him, spreading false information that adversely affected his career.

He also lamented the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his career, particularly after working with former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.

“We must always keep space for falling and standing up again. In this industry, there are so many staircases that are not well-built. Even if you try to get up, someone out there will try to bring you down with diabolism,” he said.

“In the industry, some people were diabolical, envious, and jealous of my shine. I was blackmailed, and I did not know what I did to them. That set me back for a couple of years.

“They used a clip taken from a movie set to drag me down, claiming I was mad, sick, and all sorts of lies. I was knocked out for years without a job. Directors and others in the industry backbit me and talked about things I knew nothing about. After being left out for years without a job, I travelled to Ghana.

“I worked for the former president, Nana Akufo-Addo, for a couple of years. I campaigned for him, and he won. I was with him before I came back to Nigeria, so I stayed in Nigeria until COVID-19 came in. I was about to return to Ghana to pick up my passport, but COVID-19 devastated me.”

“I was never sick anyway, but the envy in the industry is a terrible thing. In today’s industry, there are a lot more hypocrites. They don’t even learn or expose themselves, so they bring in a local way of life. When you speak to them, they seem not to understand. I was trying to get into the role. If I have to play a mad person, I have to go out there to figure out how to master it.

“I have to go where mad people are, see them, and watch them so people don’t know what I’m doing. I was trying to get into the mood of being that insane person they needed me to play. I don’t even know who was recording me. It was early in the morning—I just wanted to get the feeling. I’m not a madman, but if you give me that role, I will go all the way, one hundred percent, to master it.”

Anuku previously revealed that the viral video in 2022 insinuating he was mentally unstable “ruined” his career.