In ‘Primetime,’ Robert Pattinson Takes on the ‘Irresistible’ Role of Chris Hansen
The film satirizes NBC’s ratings push and Chris Hansen’s growing delusion as the show moves from Dateline to primetime against Lost.
- On Friday, September 25, A24 will release 'Primetime,' starring Robert Pattinson as Dateline NBC host Chris Hansen. The film examines the controversial sting-operation series and its legacy of performative justice.
- The original series, which aired from 2004 to 2007, utilized sting operations targeting alleged sex offenders. While promoted as public service, critics questioned the show's methodology and blurred boundaries between journalism and vigilante entrapment.
- Director Lance Oppenheim portrays Hansen as obsessively competing against ABC's Lost for ratings dominance. Critics compare Pattinson's monomaniacal performance to Jake Gyllenhaal's role in Nightcrawler, calling it 'the most locked-in performance of its kind.'
- Filmmakers include the on-camera suicide of Rockwall County, Texas, assistant district attorney Bill Conradt, an incident many attribute to the show's cancelation. Hansen maintains the program simply ran its natural course.
- Despite the film's critique, Hansen continues sting operations today through his TruBlu streaming service. 'Primetime' examines how media and justice have become uneasy partners in 21st-century entertainment.
27 Articles
27 Articles
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In ‘Primetime,’ Robert Pattinson takes on the ‘irresistible’ role of Chris Hansen
Robert Pattinson, left, and Suki Waterhouse pose for photographers at the red carpet for the film 'Primetime' during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)(Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP) VENICE, Italy (AP) — Robert Pattinson didn’t set out to play Chris Hansen in […]
After 37 years of absence and the 50th anniversary of its debut, the Biennale has reopened its doors to the Italian filmmaker. Pattinson already caresses the Oscar with 'Primetime'. More information: Mama Schrader and Papa Tsukamoto in Venice: good cinema, useless, or didactic machaconería.
Director Lance Oppenheim directs the actor of the moment in the role of Chris Hansen, conductor of the reality show in which young aspiring actors are used as baits to capture, live, under the eyes of viewers, paedophiles in search of adventures
Il Tempo
Quotidiano NazionaleVenice, Pattinson "You can convince yourself of something and then turn it into a weapon"
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