What To Know
- Chris Hansen is reacting to Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of him in A24’s upcoming To Catch a Predator movie, Primetime.
- Find out why the reporter is saying, “It looks very dramatic.”
Former To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen is reacting to A24’s upcoming flick, Primetime, which chronicles the events surrounding the show’s run, with Robert Pattinson stepping into Hansen’s shoes for the movie. But how does he feel about it?
In a candid interview for Serialously With Annie Elise, Hansen opens up about his thoughts on the title from director Lance Oppenheim, which is slated to hit theaters on September 25. “It looks very dramatic,” Hansen said after viewing the trailer. “We had heard, you know, obviously, with all the different properties I have and all the platforms, some of the people who are involved in the management also tangentially have relationships in the Hollywood world. So we had heard that this was in the works a couple months ago,” Hansen stated.
“They came out and said, ‘Hey, look, we’re doing this. We’d like you to have some sort of, you know, consideration in terms of helping us with this,’” but ultimately Hansen didn’t play an active role in the making of the movie that also features performers including Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Bokeem Woodbine, Anna Faris, Tony Revolori, and Creed Bratton among others.
While Hansen hasn’t seen the final film, he revealed during the interview that A24 is setting him up with a screening, “and then I’ll be able to tell you whether I like it or don’t like it, and how dramatized it is.”
Hansen went on to note, “My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise… And 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.”
In other words, Hansen doesn’t want to speak too far in advance about the title without getting a better look at it first. As for his thoughts on Pattinson’s portrayal from the buzzy trailer, he said, “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.”
“I know that he’s a very popular actor,” Hansen admitted, as he added, “I know that the director is a popular guy, but I also have some questions. You know, what’s Hollywood’s motive here? We don’t know, but I’ll find out. And, I promise you, I’ll let you know.”
As for Pattinson’s casting, Hansen pointed out, “I didn’t get to choose my own guy,” and revealed, “I had discussions years ago about — I had crafted a script, and I thought Denis Leary would be a good guy to play me, depending on the age of it all.”
While that may not have come to pass, viewers can check out Pattinson’s portrayal of the pop culture figure when Primetime arrives in theaters. And in the meantime, check out Hansen’s conversation above.
Primetime, Movie Premiere, Friday, September 25, Theaters