Jonathan Lipnicki said he felt anxious about going “full frontal” in Primetime, which stars Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen. The former child star, known for Jerry Maguire and Stuart Little, recalled wondering if he had made the right decision.
Jonathan Lipnicki says going full frontal in Primetime brought anxiety despite his previous experience with nudity
Primetime draws inspiration from Hansen’s time hosting To Catch a Predator, the Dateline spinoff that ran from 2004 to 2007. It became widely known for its online sting operations. The show worked with Perverted-Justice, whose adult volunteers posed as teenagers in online chats.
The men were invited to houses with hidden cameras. Once they arrived, Hansen would confront them. The A24 film features several of these encounters. In the film, Lipnicki plays an online target known as Crazyfrog73. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Lipnicki was asked whether he knew the character was a pedophile who would be naked in the scene.
He replied, “Yes, they sent the scenes. I laughed, but it also gave me a lot of anxiety. It’s a crazy thing to wrap your brain around.” Lipnicki said actors often hope for dark and challenging material that allows them to push themselves creatively. He explained that he had to question whether he was truly as courageous an artist as he believed himself to be.
Ultimately, he decided he was courageous enough to take on the role. He said, “I’ve done full frontal before in a play, Lost Girls, so that part didn’t bother me as much. It was probably the combination. If you’re full frontal in another type of scene, it’s different. The pedophile element by itself is terrifying to tackle, and then you add the nudity. Not only are you a pedophile — you’re a naked, full-frontal pedophile. It was intimidating, to say the least.”
Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim, was released in theatres on September 25. The film also stars Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, and Bokeem Woodbine.
