Posted in: A24, Movies, TV | Tagged: a24, Chris Hansen, primetime, robert pattinson

Does Chris Hansen Have It Out for A24's Pattinson-Starring Primetime?

Chris Hansen shared his feelings on A24's Robert Pattinson-starring Primetime in a long, detailed interview. We're guessing he's not a fan?

Chris Hansen is still doing the rounds, telling anyone who will listen that A24's upcoming drama, Primetime, about the segment and eventual show of his in the 2000s, isn't accurate and that he refused to watch it early when A24 asked him to sign an NDA. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Hansen, along with Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers, and is directed by Lance Oppenheim. The film will get a theatrical release on September 25.  For those who do not remember, To Catch a Predator aired as segments on Dateline from 2004 to 2007. It was so popular that it moved to primetime after that. Hansen and the show's producers worked with watchdog group Perverted Justice to lure the offenders into traps, believing they were meeting underage children for sexual purposes at what turned out to be a sting house. Hansen would then confront them by telling them to "have a seat" and proceed to interview them on camera. While popular, it was ultimately canceled after ethical issues sprang up, and one suspect shot himself as police entered his home.

Chris Hansen Will See The Film Eventually, Though

In a new interview with THR, Hansen touches on a variety of topics, but mostly puts himself over big time and repeats over and over again that the film is a "work of fiction": "But you still have something that is a complete work of fiction attached to a real name. Based upon what I've seen in the trailer and my understanding of what has been written about the film, they wanted to create something much darker and way more dramatic. I think it's an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators. They turn something that is very positive, very challenging and not without risk into what is essentially a horror film."

As far as Pattinson's portrayal, he holds no ill will, but does ask why A24 never had the two meet: "That raises the question: Why use somebody's name, image and likeness? They do that because it has commercial value. The name is a brand, and the brand brings people into theaters, just as it does to my podcasts, my network and everything else we do. I have no issue with Robert Pattinson. I think he's a great actor and a nice guy, and he has been very gracious in his comments about me. But they put him in a difficult position. He's going to be asked, "Did you actually meet with Chris Hansen?" And he has to explain why, as an actor portraying me, they never reached out even to have a discussion. I think it's because the studio and the director didn't want to know the truth. They had a notion of the film they wanted to create, and they wanted to benefit from the use of my name."

There is a lot more at the link, and Chris Hansen has always walked a line of coming off like an ego-driven person that puts some people off from the work that he does, which is why, from the reviews coming out of the film's premiere over the weekend at the Venice Film Festival, point out that Pattinson's performance is pitch perfect. We will all find out for ourselves on September 25.

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