VENICE, Italy — Robert Pattinson didn’t set out to play Chris Hansen in “Primetime.
But somewhere along the way, it just became “irresistible.”
“I was trying to mold the part to be the best part to play for somebody else, and then I got more and more attached to it,” Pattinson said Saturday at the Venice Film Festival , where the film had its world premiere and sparked a 9-minute standing ovation.
The 40-year-old English actor started out as a producer on the film about the NBC Dateline show “To Catch a Predator. 25. But while he and his collaborators found that they couldn’t help but imitate Hansen while chatting about the project, he “found his accent very difficult. He died by suicide as police officers descended on his home with the show’s television cameras outside. Hansen was not involved in the making of the movie and has made several public comments about it, including that he had always thought Denis Leary should have played him and questioning the motives of the filmmakers. The film also marks the acting debut of singer Phoebe Bridgers, who found it challenging.
“Primetime,” which was written by Ajon Singh, has already inspired discourse and headlines with just its trailer and subject matter. It’s based on journalist Luke Dittrich’s “Esquire” article “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die,” which explores a 2006 sting operation on Texas assistant district attorney Bill Conradt. Oppenheim, in his director’s statement, said that he “wanted to trace the disparate ambitions of people who existed inside this apparatus — a journalistic crusader, a mercenary TV producer and a wide-eyed Hollywood dreamer — converging into a moment of crisis. There are also reports that he’s bought advertising to play in front of “Primetime” theatrical showings when it’s in theaters starting Sept. When asked to comment on the ads, Pattinson said he just hopes that Hansen likes the movie. With many movie star moments already in the rearview, from George Clooney’s lifetime achievement award to the emotional ovation for John Malkovich’s performance in “Wild Horse Nine,” the combination of Pattinson and Oasis on the same day is shaping up to be a high-wattage pinnacle for this year’s festival.
He was invited to see the movie before the festival, but took issue with the NDA he was asked to sign beforehand.
