British actor Robert Pattinson has turned to a darker subject in his new film “Primetime”, portraying the host of an American television programme that targeted suspected child abusers.

Pattinson, who has already appeared opposite Zendaya in “The Drama” and played a key role in the summer blockbuster “The Odyssey”, takes on the role of NBC journalist Chris Hansen, the host of “To Catch a Predator”.

The television show, which aired from 2004 to 2007, featured sting operations targeting men suspected of seeking sexual encounters with children. It attracted large audiences but also raised questions about the boundaries between investigative journalism, police work and reality television.

Speaking to BBC News at the London Film Festival screening of “Primetime”, Pattinson said the film's subject was particularly disturbing to him as a parent. He welcomed his first child with partner Suki Waterhouse in March 2024.

“It's both the most terrifying thing that can happen to you, whether you're a parent, or even if you're not,” he said.

“It's the most unimaginable sin possible,” he added.

The A24 crime thriller examines how the television programme turned efforts to expose suspected child abusers into compelling entertainment.

Pattinson said the show presented the idea that society could tackle child abuse quickly, but its popularity also raised difficult questions about turning such cases into television entertainment.

“The show was this kind of microcosm of saying, 'oh, we can do something about [child abuse], and we can do something about it really, really, really quickly,” he said.

“And in some ways, that's correct, but it also makes for incredibly powerful TV, and that's when it gets into slightly dicey territory.”

Asked whether public attitudes towards such entertainment had changed, Pattinson said mainstream television had moved away from the format, but similar content had found a new home on social media.

He said he became interested in the project after noticing the return of predator-catching videos that followed a format similar to the early 2000s television show.

“And I was just interested as to why that was happening,” he said, adding that the trend had grown into a major form of social media content.

Hansen himself has criticised the film, describing it as “bizarre” and “detached from reality” in a video posted on X.

Director Lance Oppenheim acknowledged the criticism, saying the film was deliberately designed that way.

“I always thought of this movie as more of a fever dream than something that was representational portrait,” he said.

Oppenheim said the film examines the longstanding public fascination with watching people face punishment in front of others.

“It's happened for thousands of years,” he said. “I wanted to make something that interrogated that.”

Oppenheim is also co-directing a much-anticipated documentary about Elizabeth Holmes with Nathan Fielder. He described the project as a special film that he hoped everyone would watch.

From ‘Twilight’ to possible Oscar recognition

Pattinson, 40, first gained widespread popularity as vampire Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” film series, alongside Kristen Stewart. He had earlier attracted attention as Cedric Diggory in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”.

Since then, he has appeared in major productions, including Christopher Nolan's “Tenet”, while also building a reputation for taking on unconventional independent films.

The actor has had a busy year, with “Dune: Part Three” still to come. He is also expected to return as Batman in the next film in the franchise, although production has reportedly been paused.

Asked when work on the Batman film would resume, Pattinson offered little detail, saying, “We don't know yet, but yeah, working on it.”

His performance in “Primetime” has also prompted speculation that he could receive his first Academy Award nomination.

Reflecting on his recent projects, Pattinson said he felt grateful for the opportunities he had received.

“I am eternally grateful that I got these jobs,” he said.

“But then [to have] been able to even do them, this is one of the best years of my life.”

Source: BBC