Robert Pattinson Perfects Chris Hansen’s Distinctive Voice for ‘Primetime’

Robert Pattinson has spent considerable time studying Chris Hansen’s voice for his role as the former Dateline journalist in the upcoming drama Primetime.

Pattinson told GQ India that Hansen’s voice was particularly difficult to imitate. To prepare, the actor listened to Hansen’s podcast, Have a Seat, which revisits the journalist’s investigations into child predators.

“I was just walking around constantly trying to imitate his voice,” Pattinson said, acknowledging that the subject matter sometimes made his practice sessions uncomfortable in public. “His voice is really iconic to me, and it’s very hard to do it.”

Pattinson initially joined Primetime as a producer after being impressed by Ajon Singh’s screenplay. He later supported Lance Oppenheim, with whom he had been developing a documentary, as director. Pattinson said Oppenheim’s documentary style could bring an unusual visual approach influenced by filmmakers Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma.

The actor became even more interested after reading a second draft of the script, describing it as “unusual and kind of audacious.” He also said the production became a collaborative effort, recalling spending eight hours on Zoom with Oppenheim and Singh on Christmas Day while preparing to begin filming.

Hansen, who has not given the film his blessing, said he was impressed by Pattinson’s imitation after seeing the trailer. He told Entertainment Tonight that his wife and family also thought the portrayal was convincing.

Primetime is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Sept. 25.