How do you get an A-list actor to star in your movie? If it is Robert Pattinson, the answer is apparently a whole lot of nicotine. The “Batman” and “Odyssey” star was bribed to take the lead role in A24’s “Primetime” with 200 canisters of Zyn and a note addressed to “Chris Han-Zyn.”
Robert Pattinson (Credits: Variety)
Pattinson is currently generating Oscar buzz for his portrayal of “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen in the satirical drama. But he was originally planning to stay behind the camera, serving only as a producer. It took a script rewrite from screenwriter Ajon Singh — and director Lance Oppenheim’s very creative bribe — to change his mind.
The Most Creative Bribe in Hollywood History
According to a new interview with Vulture, Oppenheim knew exactly what he was doing. “Rob, at the time, was grappling with a Zyn addiction,” the director explained, and there was reportedly a shortage of the nicotine pouches in the US. So he got a friend to send 200 cases from Canada alongside the latest draft of the script, addressing the whole package to “Chris Han-Zyn.”
Pattinson did not fold straight away — his first reaction was reportedly “no way dude.” But the pun-fuelled parcel, the reworked script, and the part itself eventually won him over. When Pattinson called to say he was in, Oppenheim said “it was like LeBron making the announcement that he was joining the Heat.”
About the Film
“Primetime” is a satirical drama set in 2006 about the rise of Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” based on the Esquire article “Tonight On Dateline This Man Will Die.” Pattinson plays Hansen as a driven host whose show moves into a primetime slot, with Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers among the cast. Oppenheim, a documentary filmmaker making his narrative debut, has described it as a “fever dream” and an “elaborate form of fan fiction” rather than a conventional biopic.
The film premiered at Venice on September 5, 2026, opened in US theaters on September 25, and holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has grossed about $38 million against a reported $14.5 million budget.
The real Chris Hansen is less impressed. He has called the film “98 percent fiction” and gave Pattinson’s performance a D, even buying ads to run in front of the movie. Pattinson’s response, at the London Film Festival: “He is cool. I’m like a fan.” The UK release is set for October 30.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
