Chris Hansen Questions ‘Hollywood’s Motive’ Behind New ‘Primetime’ Movie
Chris Hansen says he plans to reserve judgment on the upcoming movie “Primetime” until he sees it for himself, though the former “To Catch a Predator” host is already questioning why Hollywood chose to revisit his controversial television career.
Hansen, 66, discussed the Robert Pattinson-led film during an appearance on the “Serialously with Annie Elise” podcast, saying he had no role in the production and was not consulted on the film.
Hansen said people connected to the project approached him a couple of months ago about potentially helping with the movie, but by that point it had already been made. He said he expects to see the completed movie soon.
“I’m going to get a private screening in the next week or so, and then I’ll be able to tell you whether I like it or don’t like it, and how dramatized it is. My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise. And until I see the full movie, as a reporter, it’s sort of silly for me to talk about something that I haven’t seen yet.”
The A24 film, directed by Lance Oppenheim, is set in 2006 and dramatizes Hansen’s work on “To Catch a Predator,” the controversial series of “Dateline NBC” investigations that became a pop culture phenomenon in the 2000s.
Robert Pattinson portrays Hansen in “Primetime,” which traces the show’s rise in popularity. The film’s brief official synopsis reads: “In 2006, ‘To Catch a Predator’ host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history.”
Although Hansen has not watched the movie itself, he has seen its trailer, which he described as “very dramatic.”
He also said the project has left him wondering what filmmakers hope to accomplish by revisiting the story.
“I know that [Robert Pattinson is] a very popular actor. I know that the director’s a popular guy. But I also have some questions. What’s Hollywood’s motive here? We don’t know. But I’ll find out, and I promise I’ll let you know.”
Hansen also made clear that he had no input into who would portray him onscreen.
He “didn’t get to choose” the actor playing him, Hansen said. Asked whom he might have selected himself, he offered another possibility.
“Denis Leary would be a good guy to play me, depending on the age of it all.”
Hansen said the idea of Denis Leary portraying him actually dates back years, when Hansen had developed a script of his own and pictured Leary in the role.
Despite the renewed Hollywood attention surrounding his career, Hansen indicated that he remains focused on his own work, saying he is “busy being the real Chris Hansen.”
Pattinson is joined in “Primetime” by Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, Bokeem Woodbine and Anna Faris.
The movie revisits one of the most recognizable—and controversial—stretches of Hansen’s career. Hansen hosted “To Catch a Predator” as part of “Dateline NBC” from 2004 until 2007.
The investigations were conducted alongside the watchdog group Perverted-Justice. Adults working undercover posed as minors in online chat rooms and communicated with men suspected of seeking sexual encounters with children.
Those men were then invited to a house under the impression that the minor was there alone. After arriving, they would instead encounter Hansen, who confronted them about their online conversations. Police were also involved in the operations, and suspects were arrested.
The format drew major attention and helped make Hansen nationally recognizable. Still, it also attracted criticism over the methods used in the investigations and the relationship between television producers and law enforcement.
Controversy intensified following a 2006 investigation involving Bill Conradt, an assistant district attorney in Texas.
Conradt died by suicide when police, accompanied by a camera crew, arrived at his home to execute a search warrant connected to a “To Catch a Predator” investigation. NBC later settled a $105 million lawsuit stemming from the case out of court.
“To Catch a Predator” eventually ended, but Hansen continued pursuing similar work after leaving the NBC series, hosting other programs focused on identifying suspected child predators across online and streaming platforms.
The journalist and television personality has also remained in the public eye for reasons unrelated to the show. In 2021, Hansen turned himself in after a warrant was issued when he missed a Michigan court date. He was later released.
Now, nearly two decades after the height of “To Catch a Predator,” “Primetime” is bringing that chapter of Hansen’s career back to the screen through a dramatized version of the story.
For Hansen, exactly how closely that version resembles what actually happened remains an open question, at least until he watches it.
The film is scheduled to premiere at the Venice Film Festival before arriving in theaters Sept. 25.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
