Robert Pattinson Hopes Chris Hansen Sees ‘To Catch a Predator’-Inspired Thriller

Robert Pattinson hopes Chris Hansen will watch Primetime, the new thriller inspired in part by Hansen and his famous To Catch a Predator television series.

Speaking at a press conference in Venice ahead of the film’s world premiere, Pattinson said he would take Hansen’s decision to watch the movie as a compliment.

“I would hope in some ways, like the amount of inspiration that his character has given so many people who are involved in this film for years now, I hope it’s some kind of compliment,” Pattinson said.

Directed by Lance Oppenheim, Primetime is competing for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The movie draws inspiration from Hansen’s television persona and the distinctive style of To Catch a Predator, which became a cultural phenomenon in the 2000s.

Hansen, however, has not seen the film and has raised concerns about how his name is used. He has said he has “ethical” issues with the use of his name, as well as the names of his colleagues and family members, in a movie he believed was fictional.

After watching the trailer, Hansen acknowledged that Pattinson appeared to have achieved “a pretty good imitation” of him, although he felt the performance was “overly dramatic.”

Pattinson explained that his interest in Hansen went beyond simply copying his mannerisms. He said that after watching the series closely, he became fascinated by Hansen’s presence and the way the program was made.

“The more you watch the show, there’s something magnetic about his presence,” Pattinson said. “I watched the show when I was younger and I didn’t even think about it, and when you obsessively watch it, you realize there’s a strange alchemy with what’s going on, the aesthetics of the show, and how things are put together, and the time period.”

For Pattinson, the lasting impact of To Catch a Predator is not only about its subject matter. He believes the show stood out because it challenged the usual rules of television.

“Something he’s doing is the reason why people are still talking about that show 20 years later,” he said. “It’s not to do solely with the subject matter.”

He described the series as “very groundbreaking,” saying it appeared to break the traditional rules and bureaucracy of television while Hansen remained at the center of it.

Part of NBC’s Dateline, To Catch a Predator documented Hansen confronting people suspected of attempting to meet minors for sexual purposes. The program used law enforcement officers and decoys posing as minors in online interactions.

With Primetime now heading into its Venice premiere, Pattinson’s comments highlight just how strongly Hansen’s television persona influenced the film. Whether Hansen himself will embrace that influence remains to be seen.