Robert Pattinson says he came at the role of Chris Hansen in “Primetime” less like an actor building a character study and more like someone fascinated by the machinery of a hit television show. Pattinson, who plays Hansen in the A24 film, told The Associated Press that he was drawn to the story’s questions about fame, commerce and morality rather than a straightforward impression of the journalist.
“Primetime” dramatizes NBC Dateline’s “To Catch a Predator,” the series that ran from 2004 to 2007 and used adult decoys posing as children to lure online predators to a house where Hansen confronted them on camera. The film arrived in theaters on Sept. 26, 2026, following months of public criticism from Hansen himself.
How Pattinson Built His Robert Pattinson Playing Chris Hansen Performance
Pattinson was not originally set to star in “Primetime.” He was developing the project through his production company and helping shape the story and character before he realized the role was one he wanted to play himself, according to the Associated Press.
That involvement in early development appears to have shaped how he thinks about impersonating a real, living public figure. “It’s impossible to, like, play somebody else,” Pattinson told the AP, a line that gets at why he leaned into interpretation rather than mimicry.
Pattinson said what actually pulled him into the story was not Hansen’s interrogation style but the business side of the show’s success. “The thing which I was most interested in, it’s the sort of technicalities of like trying to have a hit show,” Pattinson told the AP. “When you get up to a certain, like, level of numbers of viewers or like however much money is involved, suddenly the subject matter, like everything doesn’t matter anymore. … You’re just a hit and like and you’re judged along the same lines, and the same commercial expectation is put on you.”
Two years after its debut, “To Catch a Predator” was pulling in around 7 million viewers an episode, and Hansen had become a celebrity in his own right, per the AP. That rise, and what it cost the show’s credibility once a suspect’s death became part of the story, is the territory Pattinson says interested him most.
Director Lance Oppenheim’s Stylized Take On Hansen
Filmmaker Lance Oppenheim has described “Primetime” as more fever dream than biopic, a dark meditation on performance, media and morality rather than a conventional retelling. One detail that shaped Pattinson’s performance came from Oppenheim himself. The director showed Pattinson a video clip of Hansen that Oppenheim’s wife had ordered to celebrate the 2024 documentary “Spermworld,” and Oppenheim has said that clip helped shape their stylized portrait of the journalist, according to IndieWire.
That stylization has become a flashpoint with Hansen, who called the film’s look “a science fiction film, almost, with the greens and the vampire look of the character,” and asked, “What’s the point of this?” according to Variety.
Hansen’s Public Pushback
Hansen has been outspoken about the film since before release, calling the Esquire article that inspired its script “a bit of a hit piece” and suggesting Denis Leary would have been a better casting choice, per the AP. He has also questioned the motives of Oppenheim and A24 in using his name. Hansen told Variety that A24’s use of his identity amounts to exploiting decades of work.
“The reason you use it is because I’ve spent 45 years creating a very valuable brand, and they wanted to exploit it,” he said. He has argued that many people would consider that kind of use identity theft.
Hansen publicly weighed legal action against A24 over the summer and turned down an advance screening invitation during a dispute over a nondisclosure agreement, according to IndieWire. He eventually watched the film with a public audience in Times Square just before its wide release, then discussed his reaction with Fox News’ Jesse Watters on a special episode of “Have a Seat with Chris Hansen.” He has called “Primetime” a “complete work of fiction” and an “insult,” comments made before he had seen it.
Pattinson, for his part, told the AP he was not surprised by Hansen’s criticism, saying it is “absolutely insane” that people are still debating the ethics of a television show that ended nearly two decades ago.
Co-Star Alex Winter On Pattinson’s Performance
“Primetime” actor Alex Winter has offered his own read on both the original show and Pattinson’s performance. Winter told Collider that Pattinson’s work in the film is “so genius” and is resonating with audiences, while arguing the movie uses “To Catch a Predator” as a lens on present-day culture rather than a simple history lesson. Winter was blunter about the source material itself, calling the original series “pure exploitation for ratings” that failed to treat anyone involved, predators or decoys, as a three-dimensional person in need of help. He compared “Primetime” to the 1974 film “Chinatown,” saying both movies use events from decades earlier to comment on the chaos of their own present moment, according to Collider.
Box Office And What’s Next
“Primetime” opened to $19.2 million domestically, marking A24’s third-biggest opening weekend to date. The commercial result arrived alongside strong critical notices and the ongoing public dispute with Hansen, a combination that has kept the film in headlines well past its release date.
No further legal action from Hansen against A24 has been confirmed. Readers interested in Pattinson’s upcoming work can follow updates on his other major franchise commitment in Batman Part II production coverage.
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