Chris Hansen has spent years confronting people on camera for all to see. Now, it looks like he has a confrontation of his own, this time with Hollywood.
The famous show To Catch a Predator aired in November 2004 and was created by Chris Hansen. His main mission was to confront child predators on camera for millions to see their filth, but now he is fighting back against a new film for doing the same to him.
Primetime, A24’s film starring Robert Pattinson as young Chris Hansen, has aroused plenty of attention on the internet. But the person at the center of the story is anything but thrilled about the film. Hansen has publicly criticized the making of the movie many times, as he was not included or consulted about the portrayal of his character.
For anyone not looped in, To Catch a Predator was a series on Dateline NBC that became famous for its hidden-camera investigation into the world and mind of adults who attempt to meet up with minors online. Hansen turned these encounters into internet-worthy memories, making his mark on television and news.
Primetime takes inspiration from this world, with Pattinson as Hansen and Lance Oppenheim directing. However, the movie is not a biopic. Instead, it dramatizes the events surrounding the production of To Catch a Predator, giving the filmmakers room to interpret the people and situations however they would like.
This is exactly where Hansen starts to have concerns.
Hansen stated he was very uncomfortable with his portrayal, arguing that the movie painted him in a false light through things he would never actually do or say. He fears the audience will walk away believing in the dramatic and fictional story rather than the actual hard work he has put into his career and what he does.
This distinction is important.
The situation got even messier when Hansen was finally invited to a screening of the film, but only under specific circumstances. According to Hansen, he left without seeing the movie because the company asked him to sign an NDA, feeling it would limit his rights and ability to seek legal action if needed. A24 fought back, stating it was just a standard form to prevent spoilers or leaks from the film.
The funniest part of this entire situation is that Hansen is not backing down and removing himself entirely from the film; he’s doing the exact opposite.
His streaming service, TruBlu, bought ad space before the film to run a short video stating the true nature of the film and promoting his current work. While Hansen isn’t directly supporting the A24 film, he is far from opposed to getting a little something out of all the attention.
Now, the real question is bigger than Chris Hansen: When Hollywood turns a real person’s life into a movie, how much control should that person get? Hansen doesn’t want the audience to see a dramatized version of himself, but the debate surrounding the film proves one thing: sometimes the story behind the film is just as interesting as the film itself.