Chris Hansen, renowned for hosting the gripping series To Catch a Predator, recently shared his insights on Robert Pattinson stepping into his shoes for the forthcoming Primetime movie.
“A few months back, I was approached with a proposition,” Hansen, 66, recounted during the August 17 episode of the “Serialously” podcast. “They informed me about their plans and expressed interest in involving me to some extent as an advisor for the project.”
Initially, Hansen had no role in the movie’s development, but he mentioned that he would soon attend a private screening to catch a glimpse of the film.
“Once I’ve viewed it, I’ll be in a better position to share my thoughts on both its appeal and dramatization,” Hansen remarked. “Given my background as a reporter, it’s a bit premature to critique a film I haven’t yet seen. However, I suspect my name adds commercial value to the project.”
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Hansen did, however, admit that he had watched Primetime’s trailer and weighed in with his thoughts.
“It looks dramatic. It looks very dramatic,” Hansen said. “I’ve been busy being the real Chris Hansen, so I don’t have a lot of time to focus on the fake Chris Hansen in the movies. Look, I know that he is a very popular actor, and I know that the director [Lance Oppenheim] is a popular guy. I also have some questions. What’s Hollywood’s motive here? We don’t know. But I’ll find out.”
Primetime dramatizes Hansen’s controversial Dateline NBC segment, which filmed sting operations against potential child predators. The film is set in 2006 and will follow the show’s rise.
Hansen explained that he “didn’t get to choose my own guy” to portray him in the movie, and had previously thought a different actor could have been well-suited to be him.
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“I always thought — you know, I had discussions years ago. I had crafted a script and thought Denis Leary would be a good guy to play me. Depending on the age of it all,” he said.
These days, Hansen shared that he is busy after recently signing a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster for a thriller series.
“We’re deep into that,” he said. “So everyday I’ve got to [ask], ‘Is this the book Hansen?’ Who has a different name in the book. ‘Is this the fake movie Chris Hansen? Is this what I’ve really got to do today? Who am I today?’”
Primetime hits theaters on September 25.