Pop Culture

Robert Pattinson on 'Primetime' Performance as Chris Hansen: 'Like Scarface Meets Jerry Maguire'

"There’s something about his delivery and his cadence that makes it incredibly unique," Pattinson says of playing the 'To Catch a Predator' host.

Robert Pattinson at a press event, wearing a beige suit and light blue shirt, with a blue background featuring the Venice Film Festival logo.
Image via Getty/Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP

Robert Pattinson tapped into a bit of Scarface-meets-Jerry Maguire energy for his turn as To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen in the acclaimed Primetime, in theaters via A24 later this month.

Thursday (Sept. 17), A24 rolled out an excerpt from a presumably longer conversation between the Pattman and director Lance Oppenheim, who also has an Elizabeth Holmes doc with Nathan Fielder on the horizon. At one point during the conversation, Pattinson noted Hansen’s “unique energy,” arguing it’s a key part of why he has been able to sustain his own stardom for so long.

“Chris has such a unique energy, personality, and presence,” Pattinson said in the newly released video, seen below. “I think that’s one of the reasons why he has such lasting cultural impact. I was trying to somehow catch that electricity and energy and magnetism.”

Elaborating further on how he approached his performance, Pattinson brought in those decidedly headlineable Scarface and Jerry Maguire comparisons.

“It was, like, very high-velocity,” he said. “It’s kind of like Scarface meets Jerry Maguire. There’s something about his delivery and his cadence that makes it incredibly unique.”

Primetime, also featuring Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers, is in theaters Sept. 25. Hansen, as is well-documented, has mixed feelings about the film.

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