According to “Primetime” director Lance Oppenheim, the movie’s star, Robert Pattinson, was bribed with 200 Zyn canisters to take on the role of journalist Chris Hansen.
The movie, a surreal take on the making of Mr. Hansen’s “Dateline” series “To Catch A Predator,” features Mr. Pattinson in the lead role and has performed admirably at the box office, with a $50 million gross on a $17 million budget.
Mr. Oppenheim says that Mr. Pattinson was “grappling with a Zyn addiction” at the time he was asked to join the film and that the United States was going through a shortage of the nicotine pouches. Mr. Oppenheim’s friend from Canada sent the 200 Zyn canisters over the border, with Mr. Oppenheim dropping off the “Primetime” script, along with a letter addressed to “Dear Mr. Han-Zyn.”
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The pun was enough for Mr. Pattinson, who called the director to sign on for the production after reading the screenplay.
“Primetime” opened on Sept. 25 to positive reviews from critics who praised Mr. Pattinson’s performance as Mr. Hansen. The former “Dateline” journalist, on the other hand, has remained a staunch critic of the film, calling it a “complete work of fiction.”
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