Robert Pattinson has major hope from Chris Hansen over his Primetime portrayal

Robert Pattinson’s performance as Chris Hansen in Primetime has seen the actor lauded as a potential Oscar nominee for next year, yet Hansen himself has been hugely critical of the film.

The To Catch a Predator host slammed the movie as a ‘hit piece’ in a recent interview, with Robert Pattinson responding to the criticism from Hansen in an exclusive interview with LADbible.

Hansen has yet to see the film, having claimed that an NDA from A24 to see the film required him to ‘sign his rights away’ but sources within the studio have claimed this was a ‘boiler-plate NDA to avoid spoiling the film’.

Speaking to LADbible, however, Pattinson expressed his hope that Hansen would not only see the movie but understand the portrayal of him despite the trailer’s implications it would paint him as a villain.

Pattinson said he’s ‘kept out the loop’ when asked about Hansen’s criticism but stated his hope for the presenter's feelings about the film

Chris Hansen has been heavily critical of the film based on its trailer, and is reportedly seeing the film on the night of its release (NBC)

Pattinson explained that he was kept ‘pretty out the loop’ when asked about the presenter’s public criticism of the film, however added: “If you look at it, [Primetime is] a very particular tone.”

The actor explained that the film is not a traditional biopic looking to get into the psychology of a ‘real person’ but instead dealt more with the perception of the series. He explained: “I think when you watch the movie it’s not like you’re watching a guy, a human, you’re trying to do a portrait and you’re heightening some elements, and so hopefully when he watches it, if he watches it, he understands that.”

Pattinson said that he has no contact with Hansen since his public comments, reiterating: “I hope when he sees it he’s going to like it.”

Continuing, he said: “I think he’s someone who’s managed to ride… for doing something where you’re a reporter and I don’t think he’s ever had any intention of becoming the meme figure and to be able to navigate that is complicated in and of itself, and I think he’s done that with grace.

“The fact he’s still so culturally relevant 20 years after the original show, he knows how to move in these worlds… I think he understands the different amalgamations of your persona is an organic thing that keeps evolving.”

Pattinson explained what he used as inspiration for his Primetime performance instead of speaking to Hansen

Rather than looking to speak to Hansen the actor explained that he had taken a lot of inspiration from the To Catch a Predator Reddit, stating that it’s ‘still very active’ and adding that it helped form the understanding of the perception of both Hansen and the show.

The film, despite theories from the trailer that Hansen would be presented as an irredeemable villain in the movie is far more even-handed in its portrayal of the presenter than many probably expected.

Skyler Gisondo, Pattinson’s co-star on the film who plays ‘Decoy Dan’, said: “I don’t think Lance [Oppenheim, the director] is the kind of filmmaker where he’s telling you what to think in this heavy handed way.

Robert Pattinson and Skyler Gisondo (A24/DiscussingFilm)

“I think it’s just this show happens to be a really interesting inflection point in some way on our culture and a really interesting time capsule to look back at 20 years ago and what the show was doing then.”

Early reviews have heaped praise on both actors along with their co-star Merrit Weaver, with the A.V. Club calling it a ‘career best’ role for Pattinson.

The Telepgraph gave the movie a perfect five stars, saying: “Inspired by a 2007 magazine article about the series’ grisly conclusion the previous year, it is the best and nastiest film of its type since 2014’s Nightcrawler: it leaves its audience simultaneously appalled and thrilled, and thereby grubbily complicit.”

Primetime releases in the US 25 September, and in the UK 31 October.