Chris Hansen Reacts To Robert Pattinson’s Portrayal Of Him In ‘Primetime’

Jazmin TolliverWed, September 2, 2026 at 12:28 AM UTC

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Chris Hansen is voicing his concerns about A24’s film “Primetime,” which portrays his time as the host of Dateline NBC’s investigative segment “To Catch a Predator,” where he famously caught suspected child predators using decoys and hidden cameras.

“It’s totally made up,” Hansen said of the film in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight published on Sunday. “And that’s the part of this that the public needs to know, is that this is a work of fiction.”

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Hansen previously questioned Hollywood’s motive for making the movie, revealing earlier this month in an interview with the “SERIALOUSLY” podcast that he was largely not consulted during the creative process, despite having heard the movie was in the works.

Speaking of “Primetime” leading man Robert Pattinson, who portrays Hansen in the film, Hansen said that he thinks Pattinson’s performance was “overly dramatic.”

“He’s saying things I never said and doing things I never did,” said the veteran journalist.

Hansen recalled to ET’s Kevin Frazier that one of his producers called him to express concern over how the journalist was portrayed in the film’s trailer.

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“I had a producer of mine call me the other day, and she was very upset. And I said, ‘Well, it’s just a movie. You know, this is over in a period of time.’ And she said, ‘No, they had your character yelling at your staff. You’ve never yelled at your staff in your life.’”

Despite apparent skepticism over Pattinson’s performance, Hansen shared that his family thinks that the actor did a “pretty good imitation” of him, telling Frazier, “It’s not so much what I think; it’s what other people think.”

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Notably, Hansen hasn’t watched the film yet but said that A24 had arranged a private screening for him ahead of its release.

Chris Hansen discussed Robert Pattinson's portrayal of him in A24's "Primetime" during an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Sunday.Youtube/A24

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Hansen ultimately declined the invitation after the production company asked him to sign a “very restrictive agreement,” Entertainment Weekly reports. A source pushed back on Hansen’s claim, telling EW that Hansen was asked to sign a standard non-disclosure agreement that all preview audiences are required to sign before screening an unreleased film.

“I think it’s disappointing that a major film company would not have the common courtesy to at least tell you what they’re doing,” Hansen told ET’s Frazier. “I did not participate. I was not asked to participate. Just inconsiderate.”

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Later in the interview, Frazier asked Hansen what he would’ve changed about the film, based on the trailer, had he been more involved in the production process.

“Well, I think I would have made it more realistic. I think, you know, this is one of those stories, Kevin, that is so dramatic in the real world.  There’s not only the drama, but there are darkly humorous moments. There are moments of compassion. There are moments of emotion if you just look at the real story.”

Hansen added, “And that’s why I think that the actual episodes [of ‘To Catch A Predator’] are so compelling because you have all that in reality.”

Watch Hansen’s interview on Entertainment Tonight below. “Primetime” hits theaters on Sept. 25.

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