Robert Pattinson's portrayal of "To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen in the thriller "Primetime" earned a seven-minute standing ovation at its Saturday premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The film, directed by Lance Oppenheim in his feature debut, follows the production of the "Dateline" series in which Hansen confronted child sexual predators in sting operations. Pattinson's partner Suki Waterhouse kissed him during the ovation as the audience cheered the performance.
The real Chris Hansen has publicly criticized the film, saying he was not involved in the creative process and has not seen the movie. Hansen called Pattinson's portrayal "overly dramatic" and questioned the studio's motives in dramatizing the reality series. He stressed that the film is not a literal account of his career and that he was not consulted during production. "He's saying things I never said and doing things I never did, and that's not who I am," Hansen said, adding that people should remember the film is fiction only based on real events.
"Primetime" is based on Luke Dittrich's 2007 Esquire article "Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die." The film also stars Skyler Gisondo, Merritt Wever, and features the acting debut of singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Former NBC chief Jeff Zucker, who appears in the movie as himself, and producer Ari Aster walked the red carpet alongside the cast.
At a press conference before the screening, Pattinson suggested Hansen might change his view after seeing the film. "Obviously, I hope he likes the movie," Pattinson said. "There's something electrifying about him. I would hope the amount of inspiration his character has given a lot of people for years is some kind of compliment." A24 will release "Primetime" in theaters in September.