Robert Pattinson responds as Chris Hansen calls A24’s Primetime ‘essentially a horror film’

Robert Pattinson has responded after Chris Hansen criticised Primetime, the new film inspired by his controversial NBC show To Catch a Predator, calling the movie an “insult”.

The A24 film stars Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen and is inspired by To Catch a Predator, which first appeared on Dateline NBC in 2004 before becoming its own series.

The show involved alleged child predators being lured to houses after talking online to people they believed were underage. In reality, the people they thought were children were adult members of the production team.

Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim and written by Ajon Singh, isn’t a straightforward biopic about Hansen. Instead, it’s a dramatisation inspired by To Catch a Predator, including the controversy around the show and the 2006 case involving Texas assistant district attorney Bill Conradt.

The film is also based on journalist Luke Dittrich’s Esquire article, Tonight On Dateline This Man Will Die.

Chris Hansen has called the film an ‘insult’

Hansen has been pretty vocal about Primetime ahead of its release. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Hansen said, “I think it’s disappointing that a major film company would not have the common courtesy to at least tell you what they’re doing. I did not participate. I was not asked to participate. Just inconsiderate.”

He also revealed that lawyers were looking into the situation when he was asked whether he could get any money from the film.

“I don’t know. They’ve not offered anything,” Hansen said.

But he has also been clear that he isn’t happy with how the film portrays him. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hansen called Primetime an “insult” to the people who work to protect children from predators.

“I think it’s an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators,” he said. “They turn something that is very positive, very challenging and not without risk into what is essentially a horror film.”

Hansen has also said he has “no issue” with Pattinson himself. He described Pattinson as a “great actor and a nice guy”.

Hansen has also bought advertising space before screenings of Primetime to promote TruBlu, his true-crime streaming platform.

So, what did Robert Pattinson say?

Pattinson has now responded to Hansen’s comments. Speaking to the Associated Press, Pattinson said, “He’s a public person. He is also just being asked about it. It’s kind of, I mean, I get it. But I’m surprised about the level of traction that everything gets.”

He added, “The fact that people are still discussing the ethics of it, of a 20-year-old TV show, I mean, it’s absolutely insane.”

Interestingly, Pattinson wasn’t originally planning to play Hansen. He was involved in developing Primetime through his production company, but at first, he planned to stay behind the scenes.

As the project developed, though, he became more interested in the story and the character. Eventually, he realised that Hansen was actually a role he wanted to play.

Pattinson has also explained what interested him about Hansen. He said, “Chris was like a serious news reporter.”

He continued, “And I think what’s sort of fascinating about the story as a whole was like seeing someone who … you’re a journalist, you’re supposed to be in some ways a passive reporter of what’s going on and suddenly being recast in this thing where you’re not only like front and centre of it but you’re kind of, your behaviour, it’s setting the tone of the show.”

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