Inside How Robert Pattinson Mastered Chris Hansen’s Voice for ‘Primetime’

The upcoming film revisits the making of "To Catch a Predator" and the ethical debates that surrounded it. Pattinson took on more than just the lead role, also helping shape the project from behind the scenes.

Robert Pattinson is opening up about his process for mastering Chris Hansen's voice for his role as the former "To Catch a Predator" host in the upcoming A24 film "Primetime," admitting that getting it just right proved to be a unique challenge.

In his new interview with GQ India, Pattinson said it was "incredibly difficult" trying to perfect Hansen's tone because "it's just such a unique voice." To prepare for the role, the "Twilight" alum turned to Hansen's podcast, "Have A Seat," to study the host's vocal patterns.

"He has a podcast discussing his old cases, and I was just walking around constantly trying to imitate his voice, but it's pretty dark material," Pattinson said. "I'm wandering around the streets saying what he's talking about, and people are incredibly confused with what's going on."

"But his voice is really iconic to me, and it's very hard to do it," he added. "Primetime" chronicles the tense production, ethical dilemmas, and media frenzy surrounding "To Catch a Predator," which aired from 2004 to 2007.

Pattinson explained that he first joined the project as a producer after being drawn in by Ajon Singh's screenplay. He later pushed for Lance Oppenheim to direct, having previously collaborated with him on a documentary.

"I was like, 'There's something about his style that could connect. There's some sort of Oliver Stone-y, Brian De Palma version of this movie, and I think his style is really perfect for it,'" he recalled.

"And then when the second draft of the script came in, I was like, 'Ooh, I really like this.' It's really unusual and kind of audacious. I'm so curious to see how people will receive it," the "Batman" star said.

"It's so fun to work on something where it was Lance's first narrative feature. Everyone cared so much about it. It's the first thing I've properly produced from the very, very beginning. And we were doing it really as a team the whole way through it," Pattinson added.

He went on, "It was one of those things where you're like, 'Okay, we're throwing everything at this and trying to make it work.' So I'm curious how it's going to go down."

Hansen, who wasn't involved in the making of the film, has since questioned "Hollywood's motive" behind it.

Speaking with podcaster Annie Elise, he revealed that the film's team had reached out to him a few months prior, saying, "'Hey look, we're doing this, we'd like you to have some sort of consideration in terms of helping us with this.'"

Asked about his take on Pattinson's portrayal, the journalist told Entertainment Tonight, "While I think it's overly dramatic, I think there is a pretty good imitation there in the trailer."

Hansen also shared that his family has responded more warmly to the performance than he has. "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," he said.