Robert Pattinson, who plays Chris Hansen in the new biopic Primetime, has responded to a viral swipe the real To Catch a Predator host took at him.
To Catch a Predator was a recurring segment on Dateline NBC in which Hansen used adult decoys pretending to be minors to ensnare suspected child molesters.
The show ended in ignominy in 2007 after one of its targets, an assistant district attorney in Texas called Bill Conradt, killed himself while SWAT was storming his house with Hansen’s camera crew right outside.
Now, Pattinson, 40, has uncannily channeled Hansen in Primetime, which premiered Saturday at the Venice Film Festival to a seven-minute standing ovation.
Last month, Hansen characterized Pattinson’s performance in the trailer as ‘overly dramatic’ and grumbled of his casting that ‘I didn’t get to choose my own guy.’
Pattinson however had warm words for Hansen at a press conference at the film’s premiere this Saturday, saying: ‘Obviously, I hope he likes the movie,’ via Variety.
The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Hansen for comment.
Robert Pattinson, who plays Chris Hansen in the new film Primetime, has responded to a viral swipe the real TV host took at him; Pattinson pictured at the film’s Venice premiere this week
To Catch a Predator was a recurring segment on Dateline NBC in which Hansen used adult decoys pretending to be minors to ensnare suspected child molesters
‘There’s something electrifying about him. I would hope the amount of inspiration his character has given a lot of people for years is some kind of compliment.’
On each edition of To Catch a Predator, a man was lured to an appointed location by the offer of a sexual encounter with a supposed minor who turned out in fact to be one of Hansen’s adult decoys in disguise.
Hansen would then appear on the scene and expose the meet-up as a sting operation, with the authorities poised nearby to make an arrest.
During and after its run, the show drew questions over its ethics, such as over the balance between law enforcement concerns and the requirements of showbiz.
‘There’s something magnetic about his presence. I watched the show when I was younger and didn’t think about it,’ Pattinson said Saturday.
‘There’s a strange alchemy — something he’s doing is the reason people are still talking about that show 20 years later,’ he observed.
‘It’s not to do solely with the subject matter. It was something about the show that was groundbreaking, but then he’s someone centering it. There’s something, even after watching literally thousands of hours of it, you can’t put your finger on it.’
In his first public comments on the film, Hansen, 66, had questioned ‘Hollywood’s motive’ in producing a project about him, saying: ‘We don’t know, but I’ll find out,’ in an appearance on the podcast Serialously With Annie Elise.
Now, Pattinson, 40, has uncannily channeled Hansen in Primetime, which premiered Saturday at the Venice Film Festival to a seven-minute standing ovation
Last month, Hansen characterized Pattinson’s performance in the trailer as ‘overly dramatic’ and grumbled of his casting that ‘I didn’t get to choose my own guy’
Although he quibbled with Pattinson’s portrayal of him, he confessed that his family ‘seem to think it’s a pretty good imitation.’
Hansen also disclosed that he was scheduled to attend a private screening of the movie the week after the interview, which hit the internet in mid-August.
‘Until I see the full movie, you know, I as a reporter, it’s sort of silly for me to talk about something that I haven’t seen yet – so I’m going to see it,’ he said. ‘Then I’ll be able to tell you whether I like it or don’t like it, and how dramatized it is.’
He was less diplomatic on the subject of Pattinson’s casting, saying: ‘Obviously they want a commercial endeavor to succeed, and they think this is the way it’s going to succeed – you know, I didn’t get to choose my own guy.’
Hansen explained that he had entered ‘discussions years ago’ about a potential movie about To Catch a Predator, and felt at the time that Denis Leary, who is two years his senior, ‘would be a good guy’ to play him if the project came to fruition.
However he clarified in the same interview: ‘I’ve been busy being the real Chris Hansen, so I don’t have a lot of time to focus on the fake Chris Hansen.’
Primetime is the first fictional feature film directed by Lance Oppenheim, who previously specialized in documentaries.
His resume includes Some Kind of Heaven, a profile of the world’s biggest retirement community, and Spermworld, which covers both sperm donors and recipients.
Oppenheim’s upcoming To Catch a Predator film, with a cast that includes Anna Faris and Phoebe Bridgers, is scheduled for theatrical release on September 25.
