Primetime director got Robert Pattinson on board by feeding his Zyn addiction

The production notes for Primetime similarly recalled the script revision process and bringing Pattinson on board as the movie’s star, sans the bribery anecdote. Per the notes, Oppenheim, screenwriter Ajon Singh, and the Icki Eneo Arlo production team refocused the screenplay to center on the dynamic between Hansen and Dan Plum (Skyler Gisondo), aka Decoy Dan. Pattinson was apparently intrigued by Hansen’s internal struggle, the blurred line between his personal and professional life, and his downward spiral, and Oppenheim was keen to cast him by whatever means possible. “This role was made for Rob, and I knew I had to do everything in my power to convince him to play Chris,” he said, pointing to Pattinson’s previous portrayals of tragic heroes. As it turns out, all it really took to reel in the actor was a hefty supply of Zyn.