Chris Hansen has attacked Primetime in a new conversation.
He alleged Robert Pattinson's portrayal could qualify as identity theft.
Hansen hosted To Catch A Predator, which Primetime depicts.
Chris Hansen Attacks Primetime, Flags Robert Pattinson's Depiction As Possible 'Identity Theft'
The host of To Catch A Predator has earlier cast aspersions on A24 for supposedly murky contracts demanding him to sign away his life and rights.
Summary
Chris Hansen is coming after Primetime, yet again. The Lsnce Oppenheim-directed film premiered in competition at Venice Film Festival on Sept. 5 to a roughly eight-minute standing ovation, spawning Oscar talk for Robert Pattinson who plays Hansen as the controversial host of To Catch A Predator. Hansen has opened up to The Hollywood Reporter at length regarding his feelngs on the reception of the A24 film which he hasn't watched yet.
“Obviously, I’m a public figure, and the threshold for defamation is high,” Hansen spoke. “A number of things have to be shown. Are there other, more creative legal theories that could hold them accountable? Maybe. Is it identity theft? What separates this from identity theft?
“If somebody takes your name and image and makes money from it in a commercial enterprise, is that stealing somebody’s identity?” he prodded. “I don’t know. It’s a question for our legal system, I suppose.”
Hansen alleged Lance Oppenheim duped him. “Obviously, we knew something was in the works,” he said. “I’ve been a reporter for 45 years. You hear things. But to come to you at the last minute and say, ‘We’ve done this, and we didn’t feel that we had to come to you to discuss it,’ seems sneaky and somewhat disingenuous, especially because the project is so largely a work of fiction.
Chris Hansen Elaborates On Primetime
When nudged how he’d feel if Pattinson were nominated for an Oscar for his performance, the Dateline host conceded he thought it would be terrible. “I think it’s an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators,” he said. “They turn something that is very positive, very challenging and not without risk into what is essentially a horror film.
“I guess it’s not surprising that a Hollywood studio would act in such an exploitative or predatory manner,” he confessed. “We’re talking about an industry that was led by perhaps one of the biggest predators to walk the planet, Harvey Weinstein. They’ll all pat each other on the back and say, ‘What a great job. This is really dark and mysterious and intriguing.'”
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Primetime releases in India on September 25.
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