Robert Pattinson delighted the London Film Festival on Sunday night by debuting his latest film, “Primetime,” to an excited audience at BFI Imax.
Wearing a dark gray suit and slicked-back hair, Pattinson explained why he decided to join the psychological thriller not only as the lead — he plays former “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen — but also as a producer. Director Lance Oppenheim, writer Ajon Singh and lead actor Merritt Wever attended the stage.
“Ajon wrote this script that as soon as you read it it feels like it’s a grenade,” Pattinson recalled. “Then when you see no one doing anything with it, it feels like you stole something. So you literally say, ‘I want to do this now.'”
Turning to Singh, Pattinson continued: “I think I called the day after I read about you. I knew something interesting was going to happen. Then we hired Lance in less than a week, and I think within two weeks it already happened.”
As a producer and actor, Pattinson said he “just looks for something in the script that you think will be exciting and surprising for the audience.” His trademark goofy charm came out as he turned to face the crowd, adding: “I wanted to ruin it for everyone and say, ‘This is truly amazing!’ I don’t mean. And then you’ll say: ‘That’s no surprise!’ But to me it was surprising. And it felt original, fun and versatile to me; Everything you’re looking for is a little dangerous. And I knew something special would come of it.
The A24 film premiered at the Venice Film Festival last month, where it received a warm welcome and a seven-minute standing ovation. “Primetime” opened in the U.S. on Sept. 25 and has been a box office hit so far, grossing $38 million against a budget of $14.5 million, and will be released in the U.K. on Oct. 30.
“Primetime” follows Hansen, who was then the host of Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” moving the program about catching suspected child predators to prime time. Loosely based on the 2007 “Esquire” article, “This Man Will Die Tonight on Dateline” questions the ethics of Hansen’s methods on the series, which ended in 2008 after backlash. The producers have made it clear that the film is a stylized retelling and not a biopic.
Hansen had a lot to say about the film and Pattinson’s portrayal of him. Diversity after watching the film, he said that it was “a complete work of fiction”.
“Robert Pattinson is a very good actor. And I think a lot of people will find it flattering that this man was chosen to portray me,” he said. “But the way it’s done is definitely not flattering. So what’s Hollywood’s real goal here?”
Asked if he had a message for Hansen at the press conference in Venice for the film, Pattinson said he still had hope that the issue would come to the agenda.
“Honestly, I hope he likes the movie,” Pattinson said. “There’s something exciting about him. I hope it’s a kind of compliment to the inspiration his character has given so many people over the years.”