Chris Hansen, the former host of To Catch a Predator, confirmed he plans to watch A24's upcoming thriller Primetime after the film's team invited him to a private screening.
"My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise. And until I see the full movie, I as a reporter—it's sort of silly for me to talk about something that I haven't seen yet. So, I'm going to see it," Hansen said.
Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim and written by Ajon Singh, stars Robert Pattinson as Hansen and follows his attempt to make television history with NBC's To Catch a Predator (2004-'07), a hidden-camera series that set up stings targeting adult men seeking sex from minors online. The film premieres in theaters on Sept. 25.
Hansen said he has already seen the trailer, describing it as looking "very dramatic." "But again, 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," he said of Pattinson's portrayal. "I know that he's a very popular actor. I know that the director is 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'll promise I'll let you know."
Hansen also revealed he had no input on the casting. "I had discussions years ago—I had crafted a script, and I thought Dennis Leary would be a good guy to play me, depending on the age of it all," he said, noting he "didn't get to choose" who would portray him in Primetime.
Photo: Carlosamato, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
