Chris Hansen threw shade at Robert Pattinson’s casting as him in the upcoming A24 film “Primetime.”
“I didn’t get to choose my own guy,” Hansen, 66, said on Tuesday’s episode of the “Serialously” podcast while discussing the forthcoming movie based on his divisive “To Catch a Predator” series. The veteran journalist had someone else entirely in mind for the role.
“I always thought — I had discussions years ago, I had crafted a script — Denis Leary [would] play me, depending on the age of it all,” he shared on the podcast. Hansen’s preference for the “Rescue Me” star dates back to his own earlier attempts to get a film made about his controversial NBC show.
Although Hansen recognized that Pattinson, 40, is “a very popular actor,” he also admitted he “had some questions” about “Hollywood’s motives” with the film. The “To Catch a Predator” host has watched from the sidelines as A24 built the project without his creative input.
“Obviously they want a commercial endeavor to succeed and they think this is the way it’s going to succeed,” he said of Pattinson’s casting. Hansen’s skepticism extends to how his name has been used to market the project.
Hansen also noted he had zero involvement in the filming or production of the upcoming movie. The A24 project developed separately from any participation by the real-life subject at its center.
“We had heard that this was in the works. A couple months ago they came out and said, ‘Hey, look, we’re doing this. We’d like you to have some sort of consideration in terms of helping us with this,'” he recalled on the podcast.
“My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise,” he continued. Hansen has not yet seen the finished film but plans to soon.
The TV presenter said he’s yet to see the movie, but shared that he is “going to get a private screening in the next week or so.” His first look at Pattinson’s portrayal is imminent.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ve been so busy being the real Chris Hansen, I haven’t had much time to check out the dramatized version,” he quipped. “I’m going to see it soon and once I do, we’ll talk about it.”
“Until I see the full movie — as a reporter, it’s sort of silly for me to talk about something I haven’t seen yet,” Hansen added, tempering his earlier criticism with journalistic caution.
A24 dropped their first trailer for “Primetime” in May, in which Pattinson plays the real-life investigative journalist. The film tells the origin story of Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator” series, which ran from 2004 to 2007 on NBC. The “Odyssey” star debuted a shocking transformation in the trailer, drastically changing his voice to emulate Hansen’s signature delivery.
“Primetime,” directed by Lance Oppenheim, is set to hit theaters Sept. 25. The film also stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Anna Faris, Jonathan Lipnicki, Tony Revolori and Creed Bratton. The project marks Oppenheim’s debut narrative feature after acclaimed documentaries including “Some Kind of Heaven” and the HBO series “Ren Faire.”
In the viral moment that spawned this film, “To Catch a Predator” became a primetime phenomenon through its hidden-camera sting operations. Hansen’s team posed as underage boys and girls online, then ambushed adult men who arrived expecting to meet minors. Hansen would confront the men with chat transcripts while police waited outside to make arrests. The show was massively popular but drew criticism for its vigilante approach, especially after Texas assistant district attorney William “Bill” Conradt Jr. Committed suicide in 2006 when “Dateline” cameras and police surrounded his house. NBC later settled a lawsuit brought by Conradt’s sister in 2008, and the series was canceled after just 20 episodes.
Hansen has remained a staunch defender of the since-canceled show. “I think we raised awareness and created a dialogue that didn’t exist before,” he told Time in February 2015. “We created compelling television, and I think we exposed a lot of bad people who were preying on children.”
“Primetime” will have its world premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival before opening in theaters on September 25.