Sharon Ooja discusses mental toll of playing bipolar character

Nollywood actress Sharon Ooja has discussed the significant mental and emotional strain caused by portraying a character living with bipolar disorder. During an appearance on Arise TV, Ooja described the role as one of the most difficult of her career due to the intense psychological demands required to switch rapidly between conflicting emotions such as anger, laughter, and crying.

Ooja noted that the experience was so taxing that her director occasionally had to intervene to remind her to maintain the character’s emotional tempo when she began reverting to her natural personality. She stated that the role provided her with a deeper sense of empathy for individuals managing real-world mental health conditions, noting that the mental exhaustion of the performance was, in her view, more challenging than physical acting demands.