Chris Hansen finally took a seat for “Primetime,” and he was not happy about the portrayal of himself.
The former “To Catch a Predator” host said on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” in August that he left the offices of distributor A24 without seeing the film due to the legal agreement they wanted him to sign. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” he said of the agreement. He also said he found Robert Pattinson’s impression “overly dramatic,” but that his family thought it was a “pretty good imitation.”
Now that Hansen has seen Lance Oppenheim’s drama, he is prepared to share his reaction. In a short clip filmed outside a theater, Hansen gave a teaser of his initial thoughts, with a promise to post his full reaction on his podcast and YouTube channel, “Have A Seat With Chris Hansen,” at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.
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It was so bizarre and so in-and-out
“It was so bizarre and so in-and-out of reality,” Hansen said. “Obviously, I’m not objective because the character is, you know, me, but it was so detached from reality or anything I’ve experienced then or now doing the investigations. I’m not sure what the point of it was.”
The film stars Pattinson as Hansen in 2006 as “To Catch a Predator” transitioned from “Dateline NBC” to its own primetime block. A24 labeled the film as “inspired by true events,” rather than a biopic.
Pattinson himself hoped Hansen would come around on the portrayal. “I would hope the amount of inspiration his character has given a lot of people for years is some kind of compliment,” the actor said following Hansen’s comments on his imitation.
“Primetime” opened this week in theaters, after making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it garnered buzz and a seven-minute ovation.
