Robert Pattinson breaks silence on Chris Hansen's 'Primetime' criticism
Robert Pattinson breaks silence on Chris Hansen's 'Primetime' criticism
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYSun, September 6, 2026 at 10:19 PM UTC
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Robert Pattinson wants Chris Hansen to take a seat and enjoy the new movie about him.
The "Twilight" star, 40, stepped out at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, Sept. 5, for the premiere of "Primetime," the new movie in which he plays the former "To Catch a Predator" host. During a press conference, Pattinson responded to criticism from Hansen, who has said he is weighing possible legal action over the film.
"Obviously, I hope he likes the movie," Pattinson said in response to a question about Hansen's "concerns."
Pattinson added that he hopes "in some ways, the amount of inspiration that his character has given so many people who were involved in this for years now" is "some kind of compliment" to Hansen.
"I think the more you watch the show, there's something magnetic about his presence. I'd watched the show when I was younger, and I didn't even think about it," Pattinson continued.
"When you kind of obsessively watch it, you realize there's a strange alchemy with what's going on, with the aesthetics of the show, and how it was directed and how things are put together and the time period. Something he's doing is the reason why people are still talking about that show, 20 years later, and it's not to do, necessarily, solely with the subject matter."
Chris Hansen weighs legal action over Robert Pattinson's 'Primetime' movie
From 2004 to 2007, Hansen was the host of "To Catch a Predator," a segment on NBC's "Dateline" that centered on efforts to bust potential child predators. In the show, decoys pretending to be teenagers online would talk to adult men in chat rooms and invite them to a home for sex, only for the men to be confronted by Hansen and arrested.
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The series was canceled after a controversial incident involving Louis "Bill" Conradt Jr., a Texas assistant district attorney. Conradt died by suicide after being caught up in a "To Catch a Predator" investigation.
"Primetime" loosely follows the story of "To Catch a Predator," with Pattinson stepping into a dramatized portrayal of Hansen. The real-life TV host has not yet seen the film, but he has expressed skepticism about it in interviews and said it does not seem to be factually accurate based on the trailer. Hansen told Entertainment Tonight it's "disappointing" that he was not asked to participate in the movie, adding that the film is "all made up" and that "nothing in the trailer, except when he says, 'I'm Chris Hansen,' actually happened."
Chris Hansen questions 'motive' behind Robert Pattinson's 'Primetime'
Hansen, 66, has also said he is considering legal action over the movie, saying on Dan Abrams' SiriusXM podcast that "people are looking at it." According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hansen has purchased preshow advertising that will appear in front of theatrical showings of "Primetime," promoting his true crime streaming network TruBlu.
"Primetime" director Lance Oppenheim previously reacted to Hansen's criticism, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "I hope, when the time comes, that he sees it — and I'm excited to hear what he has to say about it."
Critical reviews for "Primetime" were largely positive after the film's Venice premiere. The movie currently holds a 95% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. At The Hollywood Reporter, critic David Rooney wrote that the "superficially fictionalized" film is a "morbidly fascinating inquiry into performative justice, moral superiority and public shaming as crude fuel for reality television."
"Primetime" hits theaters on Sept. 25.
Contributing: Liza Esquibias, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robert Pattinson breaks silence on Chris Hansen's 'Primetime' criticism
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
