Robert Pattison Was Bribed With Zyns To Take 'Primetime' Role

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Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen in "Primetime" next to Zyn canisters

Robert Pattinson received a ton of praise for his uncanny portrayal of Chris Hansen in Primetime, the movie chronicling the cultural sensation that was To Catch a Predator. However, he was initially hesitant to take the role before being swayed after receiving a massive shipment of Zyns

Most people were introduced to Robert Pattinson when he landed the role of Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise (although he had portrayed Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a few years before the first installment was released).

However, he didn’t have any trouble escaping the shadow of the vampire heartthrob he portrayed in five films between 2008 and 2012, as he made it clear he possesses some serious acting chops in projects like Good Time and The Lighthouse before joining the list of notable names who can say they’ve portrayed Batman on film.

2026 is a big year for the English actor, who starred alongside Zendaya in The Drama, had a supporting role in The Odyssey, and will be joining the Duneiverse when the final part of the trilogy drops in December.

He could also be in the running for his first Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards after taking on the role of Chris Hansen in Primetime, one where he expertly channeled the essence of the man who served as the host of To Catch a Predator.

However, we almost lived in a world where that wasn’t the case.

Robert Pattinson agreed to play Chris Hansen in Primetime after the director sent 200 Zyn canisters to his house

2026 has also been a big year for Lance Oppenheim, who shared a director credit with Nathan Fielder on You Can See Everything and claimed the only one that was handed out on Primetime.

On Tuesday, Vulture dropped a profile of one of Hollywood’s hottest rising talents, which included a very amusing anecdote about how Primetime came together.

Pattinson agreed to serve as a producer on the film but wasn’t initially interested in acting in it, and some other members of the creative team staged a push to get him to reconsider. That occurred while the United States was dealing with a Zyn shortage in 2024, and Oppenheim was aware that Pattison had developed an “addiction” to the nicotine pouches.

He subsequently reached out to a friend in Canada who was able to track some down, and 200 canisters arrived at the actor’s house shortly before he received an updated version of the script that was accompanied by a letter addressed to “Chris Han-Zyn.” It did the trick, as Pattinson agreed to play him.

There are sadly no details concerning the flavor(s) or strength of the Zyns in question, although it seems very safe to assume Pattinson was a 6 mg guy (the strongest available at the time) when you consider he kept a Juul inside the utility belt of the Batsuit while filming The Batman.