ROBERT PATTINSON SAYS PRIMETIME FILM NOT AN ATTACK ON CHRIS HANSEN

Robert Pattinson discussed his new film Primetime at a screening during the London Film Festival, telling BBC News about his role as the real-life host of the American television programme To Catch a Predator. The A24 crime thriller depicts NBC journalist Chris Hansen carrying out sting operations aimed at catching alleged child abusers. According to the Independent, Pattinson said the film is not intended as an attack on Hansen. Pattinson, who became a father almost three years ago, told BBC News the subject matter is "the most unimaginable sin possible" and "the most terrifying thing that can happen to you, whether you're a parent, or even if you're not".

To Catch a Predator aired in the United States between 2004 and 2007 and became a ratings success, according to the BBC. Pattinson said the programme raised questions about where the boundary lies between investigative journalism, police work and reality television. He described the show as having created "a microcosm" of the idea that abuse could be addressed "really, really, really quickly", adding that this approach also produced what he called "incredibly powerful TV" that strayed into what he termed "dicey territory".

Asked whether attitudes towards this kind of entertainment have shifted since the show aired, Pattinson said mainstream television had moved away from the format but that similar content had since reappeared on social media. He said this shift was part of what drew him to the project, describing it as evidence of "the beginning of a new wave" of predator-catching content using a similar format to that of the early 2000s. Pattinson has also appeared this year opposite Zendaya in The Drama and in the summer film The Odyssey, according to the BBC.