Riku Nieminen lost his mother at a very young age.
Riku Nieminen says that his mother was the essence of love and support. Mikko Huisko
Actor Riku Nieminen, 36, his youth in Kajaani was different from that of many other local children. When others went to hockey practice or to kick a ball, Nieminen headed in a completely different direction.
– My mother urged me to try dance and theater, even though the environment did not look at it in the best way. Lätkä and futis were, so to speak, those masculine hobbies, Nieminen thinks in an interview with Iltalehti.
The single mother supported her son when Nieminen announced his big dreams as a child: a career as a Hollywood star. The mother encouraged her offspring to apply to a theater college, if that way the big dream might even one day come true.
However, everything changed when Nieminen was 15 years old. Suddenly, the mother who unconditionally supported the young boy’s aspirations was gone.
Tragedy
Nieminen spent a week in Spain with his stepbrother’s family. When he made his way back to Kajaani, the half-brother’s father had some sad news to share with his teenage son: Nieminen’s mother has died.
Nieminen heard the sad news when he returned from a holiday trip. Mikko Huisko
The mother, who suffered from depression, had already tried to commit suicide on two separate occasions.
He died after taking drugs and alcohol mixed up. The mother did not leave any kind of message for her son before she passed away.
– I went to my grandmother’s house, where many relatives welcomed me. I remember that day very clearly. Mother’s funeral has also been strongly imprinted on retinas, Nieminen recalls.
– My cousin said to me when we lowered my mother’s coffin into the grave that: “you have to experience quite a lot now”. I agree with that: no one at that age should experience something similar, he continues.
Imbalance
When Nieminen was under 10 years old, he had to spend several evenings alone when his mother went to a bar to spend the evening.
– There is a certain kind of contradiction in that. At the same time, he was the core of all support and love, but also an alcoholic and a very unstable person, Nieminen says.
Nieminen had to live in uncertainty as a child. Mikko Huisko
The difficulties of his youth have left a mark on Nieminen’s life. Whenever something out of the ordinary happens, good or bad, the harsh reality hits us in the face.
– It feels like there is always a piece missing. I would like to send a message to my mother that I have now become a father. Or if I get a role in a movie or if I’m nominated as the winner of the Jussi award. It has exhausted my life completely, Nieminen reflects.
Pride
Nieminen went to therapy as an adult. While in therapy, he wrote two letters. Nieminen wrote the first letter to his late mother.
In it, she shared her feelings and thoughts about when her mother decided to do what she did. He wrote the second letter to himself from his mother’s point of view. Nieminen feels that this was a significant step, because it helped to understand the pain the mother experienced.
– I have received a lot of support and encouragement during painful stages of life. It seems that nowadays we idealize that kind of coping alone and facing all adversity without the support of others. You don’t always have to try to survive alone, Nieminen states.
The therapy made Nieminen feel better. Mikko Huisko
– I try to keep myself healthy so that at some point I don’t find myself in a situation where I would even consider suicide, he continues.
Nieminen’s everyday life is currently, according to the man’s own words, “quite a herring salad”. Everyday consists of filming the TV series Roba, planning my own podcast and building an election campaign.
Through hard work, Nieminen has managed to get to a position where he has been able to choose jobs. Next, he wants to be able to influence social issues in the parliament.
– I would think that mother would be very proud and happy for me, Nieminen thinks with a smile.
He was the first to tell about it Stop.