Chris Hansen thinks Robert Pattinson has come up with an “overly dramatic” but “pretty good” imitation of him in Primetime.
Chris Hansen’s family are impressed by Robert Pattinson
The Odyssey actor plays the broadcaster in the upcoming drama-thriller, which follows Hansen’s stint as host of NBC’s hidden-camera show To Catch a Predator, which ran from 2004 to 2007 and saw him setting up stings for adult men trying to meet minors for sex, and though he hasn’t yet seen the full movie, he admitted his family were impressed by what they saw of Robert in the trailer.
He told Entertainment Tonight: “I mean, obviously he has practiced imitating me, and while I think it’s overly dramatic, I think there is a pretty good imitation there in the trailer.
“It’s not so much what I think; it’s what other people think. And you know, my wife [and] my family seem to think it’s a pretty good imitation.”
Chris stressed people should bear in mind that Primetime is still a “work of fiction” and not an accurate portrayal of who he really is.
He said: “He’s saying things I never said and doing things I never did, and that’s not who I am. I’m a nice guy, except when it comes to criminals and predators.
“I think people should remember that it is a work of fiction, only based on real-life events.”
The 66-year-old star recently claimed he had to walk away from a private screening of the film because, when he turned up to the A24 offices, he was asked to sign a legal document that would sign away various personal rights.
He told Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime: “The lawyers at A24 wanted me to sign away my rights to my name, image and brand, essentially, as well as any potential legal rights that would come out of the movie.
“I couldn’t sign that, so they didn’t show me the film. I went all the way over there.”
Chris previously insisted he is keeping an open mind about the project, which has been written by Ajon Singh, until he’s actually been able to watch the film.
He told the Serialously podcast: “My suspicion is that they used my name because it helps in a commercial enterprise.
“And until I see the full movie, I as a reporter — it’s sort of silly for me to talk about something that I haven’t seen yet. So, I’m going to see it.”
And he admitted he had some “questions” about the film.
He explained: “I’ve been busy being the real Chris Hansen, so I don’t have a lot of time to focus on the fake Chris Hansen.
“I know that he’s a very popular actor. I know that the director is a popular guy, but I also have some questions.
“What’s Hollywood’s motive here? We don’t know, but I’ll find out and I’ll promise I’ll let you know.”
Meanwhile, Chris revealed there have been previous attempts to bring his story to the big screen, and he has his own casting ideas.
He said: “I had discussions years ago – I had crafted a script, and I thought Dennis Leary would be a good guy to play me, depending on the age of it all.”