A24
Chris Hansen says that 'Primetime' is an "insult" and a "work of fiction"
While former To Catch A Predator host Chris Hansen initially feigned objectivity about Primetime, he’s since shown his hand and appears to be quite bitter about the project. Hansen has called the buzzworthy Robert Pattinson-starring film an “insult.”
Following its Venice premiere earlier this week, Primetime has a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and is generating early awards conversation for Robert Pattinson’s performance in the lead role of Chris Hansen, which film fans have been eager to see ever since the debut of his spot-on impersonation in the first trailer for the film.
Since the trailer premiered, however, Hansen’s tune has steadily changed. First, he refused to sign an NDA and was thus turned away from a screening of the film. Then, he bought ad space in front of all of the showings of the film to promote his predator-hunting streaming service.
Chris Hansen called Primetime an “insult” and a “complete work of fiction” that turns his predator investigations into a horror story
Now, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hansen called the A24 film a “complete work of fiction” and objected to his investigations being framed as a psychological thriller, arguing that the work he did put predators behind bars and protected children.
“You still have something that is a complete work of fiction attached to a real name. Based upon what I’ve seen in the trailer and my understanding of what has been written about the film, they wanted to create something much darker and way more dramatic,” Hansen said.
“I think it’s an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators. They turn something that is very positive, very challenging and not without risk into what is essentially a horror film,” he continued.
“I guess it’s not surprising that a Hollywood studio would act in such an exploitive or predatory manner. We’re talking about an industry that was led by perhaps one of the biggest predators to walk the planet, Harvey Weinstein. They’ll all pat each other on the back and say, ‘What a great job. This is really dark and mysterious and intriguing.'”
The specific incident at the center of Primetime is the 2006 suicide of Bill Conradt, a Texas prosecutor who shot himself as police arrived at his home following online chats with a decoy posing as a minor. The incident, which was widely criticized as an example of the show’s methods going too far, effectively ended the show’s run.
“The positive effects of this work far outweigh the negatives,” Hansen said of the incident.
In addition to Robert Pattinson in a potentially Oscar-nominated performance as Chris Hansen, Primetime also stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, and Bokeem Woodbine, and will be released in theaters by A24 on September 25.