Actor Mike Ezuruonye has said he once stepped away from Nollywood due to mental exhaustion, crediting colleague Nosa Rex, popularly known as Babarex, for helping him return.
In an Instagram post shared on Monday to celebrate Babarex’s birthday, the 43-year-old said he reached a point where he felt drained and withdrew from the industry.
“There was a moment I was done mentally checked out, left Nollywood behind,” he wrote.
“I wasn’t even picking calls from producers and directors cos I felt drained, not out of weakness, but because sometimes even the strongest get exhausted.”
He said Babarex stepped in at that point and encouraged him to keep going.
“No bro… no way,” Mike recalled him saying. “Your talent is too much to disappear. You’re needed here.”
The actor also acknowledged the support he received from Babarex’s wife during that period.
“Even at a point in my state of mental floatation, his wife, my sister, Nma made sure always I was eating well as her food from their house always made it to my kitchen,” he added.
Mike, known for roles in films such as Desire (2008), Bitter Rain (2021), Deal Breaker (2021) and Daddies Face Off (2021), described Babarex as “solid, gifted, kind, and built for greatness.”
The actor began his acting career in the early 2000s and gained recognition with roles in films like Broken Marriage and Critical Decision. Over the years, he has remained a regular face in Nollywood, featuring in both English and indigenous language productions.
