Seeing the incredibly dark portrayal that the movie Primetime takes with Chris Hansen, one can ask him of his own catchphrase, “You know how this looks, right?” But the To Catch a Predator host insists that the movie is a work of fiction. In a short video filmed outside a theater, Hansen shared his initial thoughts on the film. “It was so bizarre and so in and out of reality, it’s hard for me to…,” 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.“
According to Forbes, Hansen discussed the film on his podcast, aptly titled Have a Seat with Chris Hansen. While he has gone on record with his reaction and Robert Pattinson has spoken about how he hoped that Hansen would’ve appreciated his portrayal since he “tried to make him look cool,” Hansen decided to extend an invitation to Pattinson on his October 28th episode.
Hansen said, “You know, it dawned on me the other day that there’s a guy who has been asked a lot of questions about me, and I’ve been asked a lot of questions regarding him. And that guy is Robert Pattinson. Of course, you know he’s the actor who portrays me — or a character with my name, image, and likeness — in the movie Primetime. And I thought, wouldn’t it be great if Robert Pattinson would have a seat with me and talk about all of this?”
He, then, added,
So this is an open invitation for Robert Pattinson to come on my show and talk about the movie, talk about his career. I know he’s a busy guy, I know I’m a busy guy, but Robert, come have a seat, anytime.”
For those who are curious about the film, fear not, for the movie becomes available for buy or rent on digital-on-demand starting tomorrow. Although he found it stylish, our own Chris Bumbray felt a little disappointed by the film and Pattinson’s “barely human” take on Hansen.
“As played by Robert Pattinson, Hansen comes off as barely human, with him leering, cruel, and utterly devoid of any humanizing feature,” Bumbray wrote. “Anyone who actually watched To Catch a Predator knows that isn’t how Hansen came off, with audiences embracing him — initially, anyway — as righteous. Were he to have come off as he does here, the show likely would never have caught on. Having him portrayed this way works in a satire, but not as well when you’re telling a true story.”
He continued, “I do wonder if Primetime would have been better had Hansen simply been used as inspiration rather than as the actual subject. At its worst, Primetime never — for a second — feels like it can offer any real insight into the phenomenon that was To Catch a Predator. It’s stylish and entertaining, but it also feels like a two-dimensional look at subject matter that demands to be taken seriously. In short, the satirical approach leads to it being a bit of a misfire.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.