Cast
Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, a television journalist for NBC and host of To Catch a Predator
Pattinson initially joined Primetime only as a producer, before agreeing to star in the film's lead role, having to prep the film while also filming Die My Love and The Drama and preparing for a role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Pattinson said he first became familiar with To Catch a Predator while staying in the United States as he starred in the Twilight films. He called imitating Hansen's voice "incredibly difficult" and studied his appearances on podcasts, recounting how he would "wander around the streets saying what he's talking about" and confuse bystanders due to the dark nature of Hansen's work. Oppenheim has called Pattinson's Hansen in Primetime "a cross between Jerry Maguire and Dracula".
Merritt Wever as Andie Bender, Hansen's producer at Dateline NBC, who prioritizes the show's ratings above all else
Skyler Gisondo as Dan Plumb, a young aspiring actor hired for the show's sting operations
Gisondo's role is based on Dan Schrack, the decoy for the botched sting operation involving Conradt. Gisondo compared being starstruck by acting alongside Pattinson to Dan's admiration of Hansen, saying his "personal nervousness bled into it".
Phoebe Bridgers as Del Harvey, a young decoy who plays both boys and girls on the show
Bridgers knew Oppenheim before production of Primetime; he sought her out because he believed someone "who had such a deep speaking voice [that] could produce this beautiful, angelic singing voice" was perfect for the role of a decoy.
Matthew Maher as Xavier Von Erck, an online vigilante and the founder of Perverted-Justice
Bokeem Woodbine as Cortland Gunn, the Rockwall County chief of police
Anna Faris as Mary Joan Hansen, Chris's wife
Jonathan Lipnicki as a child predator caught on the show who uses the screen name Crazyfrog73
Tony Revolori as an ex-Marine child predator caught on the show who uses the screen name MarriedAndLookingForFun31313
Revolori's character is based on Rolando Restocruz, the real predator on To Catch a Predator who used the same screen name.
Alex Winter as Bill Conradt, assistant district attorney of Rockwall County, Texas and the show's latest target
Eric Rahill
Sean Bridgers
Jeff Zucker as himself
Zucker oversaw programming for NBCUniversal at the time To Catch a Predator aired and plays a "boorish version of himself" in Primetime who is "the driver of tasking Chris Hansen and his team to think of the show as a commercial object". Oppenheim was interested in casting Zucker, saying he "loved the idea, keeping with the project of making this a true fever dream, of having real people alongside actors" and was pleasantly surprised when Zucker agreed to take the part.
Creed Bratton as an admirer of Hansen's, turned on by fantasies of violence
Caroline Hebert as Krysten, Chris's mistress
Jessica Hecht as an opportunistic ABC executive looking to poach Andie
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