Robert Pattinson’s Chris Hansen is meant to be more than an impersonation. In Primetime, director Lance Oppenheim draws on the television host’s changing public persona to explore how an investigation becomes entertainment.
Oppenheim has described Pattinson’s performance as a blend of Hansen’s changing public personas, informed by the actor’s own experience of sudden fame. Pattinson also produced the film and brought the director Ajon Singh’s screenplay, initially without intending to star.
Their preparation included late-night conversations and watching Hansen vs Predator together. The production itself was deliberately less controlled. Oppenheim said the film used 20 camera formats and avoided shot lists and rehearsals.
The thriller follows Hansen’s pursuit of ratings and the fallout from a sting operation. Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers join Pattinson in the cast.
The director wanted a fever-dream approach rather than a conventional biopic. He compared elements of Pattinson’s performance to Jerry Maguire and Dracula, while stressing that the story’s tragic consequences should not become a throwaway joke.
Primetime opens in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on 29 October.
