Nollywood actress Sharon Ooja has opened up about the psychological demands of portraying a character living with bipolar disorder, describing the experience as one of the most mentally challenging roles of her career.
Ooja made the disclosure during an interview with Arise TV, where she reflected on the difficulties she encountered while preparing for and sustaining the emotionally demanding character.
According to the actress, the role required her to move rapidly between different emotional states, making the performance particularly exhausting. She explained that portraying a character with experiences different from her own required intense concentration and a significant emotional investment.
“I think that because it was more mentally draining for me; when you’re a normal person playing a bipolar role, it’s a lot of work,” she said.
Ooja noted that the experience went beyond the demands of acting, saying it also transformed the way she viewed people dealing with mental health conditions.
She said immersing herself in the role gave her a greater understanding of the emotional difficulties that people living with mental health conditions may experience, while also deepening her empathy for their struggles.
“This gave me so much empathy for people who are actually dealing with mental health issues because it was draining,” Ooja said.
The actress also revealed that remaining emotionally connected to the character throughout filming was not always easy. At times, her director had to remind her to maintain the character’s emotional rhythm when she began reverting to her natural personality.
“My director would sometimes have to call me because he’s like, you’re not staying on tempo, you’re going to normal,” she recalled.
Ooja explained that one of the most demanding aspects of the role was having to portray several intense emotions within a single performance. She had to transition between crying, anger and laughter, sometimes within a short period.
“So it was so draining having to be crying, angry, laughing, so many emotions in one,” she said.
The actress described the experience as particularly challenging because of the psychological demands involved in sustaining the character. Unlike physically demanding roles, she noted, the mental strain could remain with an actor even after a scene had ended.
Reflecting on the overall experience, Ooja said the role ranked among the toughest she had undertaken, particularly because of its impact on her mental and emotional wellbeing.
“So absolutely, it was definitely one of the toughest I had, especially mentally, which is, in my opinion, almost worse than physical,” Ooja said.
Her comments highlight the emotional preparation that can accompany performances involving complex mental health experiences, while also underscoring the importance of empathy and responsible representation when such conditions are portrayed on screen.