Chris Hansen does not approve Robert Pattinson playing him in ‘Primetime’

Former ‘To Catch a Predator’ host says he was not consulted during production and questions Hollywood’s motives

Chris Hansen is raising questions about Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of him in the upcoming film Primetime, revealing that he was not involved in the casting process and had a completely different actor in mind for the role.

The former To Catch a Predator host discussed the film during an interview with podcaster Annie Elise, shortly before he is due to see the movie himself. While Hansen has not yet watched the finished project, he said the trailer had already left him with reservations about how Hollywood has chosen to tell the story.

Primetime stars Pattinson as a fictionalised version of Hansen, with the story inspired by the world surrounding the former NBC presenter and his widely recognised television work confronting men accused of attempting to meet minors.

Hansen made it clear that he does not want to fully judge the film before watching it. He said he is expected to see Primetime next week, but acknowledged that the trailer had prompted questions about the filmmakers' intentions.

"It looks dramatic. It looks very dramatic," Hansen said. He also acknowledged Pattinson’s popularity and director Lance Oppenheim’s reputation before asking, "What’s Hollywood’s motive here?"

One of Hansen’s biggest issues appears to be the lack of consultation surrounding his portrayal. According to his account, the filmmakers approached him only after the project had already been made, meaning he had no meaningful involvement in how his character would be represented on screen.

Hansen said the filmmakers told him they wanted him to have "some sort of consideration" in connection with the project. However, he stressed that he had not actually been consulted during production.

He also questioned whether his name had been used because of its commercial value. Hansen said his suspicion was that his identity helped attract attention to the film, although he stopped short of delivering a definitive judgement before seeing it.

The casting of Pattinson is another point where Hansen would have made a different choice. When asked who he would have selected to portray him, Hansen named Denis Leary.

Hansen explained that he had previously developed a script and had considered Leary suitable for the role, depending on the age of the character and the stage of the story being portrayed.

"I didn’t get to choose my own guy," Hansen said before naming Leary as his preferred choice.

Pattinson’s involvement gives Primetime a major Hollywood name, while the film also features Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine. Oppenheim directs the project, which is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on September 25.

The real life Hansen became nationally known through To Catch a Predator, a recurring Dateline NBC feature that ran from 2004 to 2007. The programme worked with the watchdog organisation Perverted Justice to arrange sting operations involving men who believed they were communicating with minors. Hansen would then confront the suspects on camera, often alongside law enforcement.

The programme became highly controversial, particularly following the 2006 death of one of its targets, who shot himself as police and NBC cameras approached his home. The incident contributed to wider questions surrounding the programme’s methods and ethics.