My Nollywood colleagues blackmailed me and wrecked my career – Hanks Anuku

Veteran Nollywood actor Hanks Anuku has opened up about his struggles in the Nigerian movie industry, stating that blackmail and envy from colleagues severely damaged his career.

The 64-year-old actor’s revelation comes nearly a year after he dismissed a viral video falsely depicting him as mentally unstable.

Speaking on the Nollywood Hardcore podcast on March 23, 2025 with host Emma Labista, Anuku claimed some industry players were jealous of his success and allegedly resorted to diabolical means to destruct his career.

According to him, certain individuals in the industry used images and videos from movie sets to spread false rumors about his mental health, leading to a decline in job opportunities.

He lamented that this blackmail severely affected his career and left him traumatised.

He said: “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. In the industry, some people were diabolical, envious, and jealous of my shine. I was blackmailed, and I don’t 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.”

Frustrated by the situation, Anuku relocated to Ghana, where he worked under the creative arts sector during President Akufo-Addo’s tenure, following his involvement in the president’s campaign.

“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,” he stated.

The actor also criticized the Nigerian film industry describing some colleagues as hypocrites who are not ready to embrace versatility, limiting their creativity and the industry’s progress.

“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,” he added.

Mr Anuku has starred in numerous 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.

The post My Nollywood colleagues blackmailed me and wrecked my career – Hanks Anuku first appeared on 3News.

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