By Tamera Jones & Steven Weintraub Published Oct 10, 2026, 2:40 AM EDT Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Summary Generate a summary of this story Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Summary Collider's Steve Weintraub talks with Alex Winter for Primetime . Winter discusses how Primetime uses To Catch a Predator to spotlight today's media chaos and moral exploitation. He also talks about A.I., working with Lance Oppenheim's doc-style direction, and his thoughts and intentions portraying Bill Conradt in the movie. The events of A24’s Primetime may have taken place 20 years ago, but actor and filmmaker Alex Winter , who portrays Texas prosecutor Bill Conradt in the movie, believes this true crime thriller uses the past to speak volumes about the world today.
When star and producer Robert Pattinson approached documentarian Lance Oppenheim to direct Primetime , the cinema stars aligned for a propulsive and aesthetically thrilling narrative feature about the infamous legacy of NBC’s To Catch a Predator and its controversial host Chris Hansen (Pattinson). With a talented ensemble, a sweeping performance from Pattinson , and a singular vision from Oppenheim’s doc filmmaking career, Primetime offers up what Collider’s Taylor Gates calls “ one of the most unusual and unique films of the year .”
In a recent interview with our own Steve Weintraub , Winter speaks in depth about his involvement with the film. Though Winter’s role on screen is minor, Conradt’s death became a defining moment in To Catch a Predator ’s history, raising questions about ethics and the intersection of journalism, law enforcement, and entertainment. Winter opens up about his personal experience, why he agreed to the role, and his own unique perspective as a documentary filmmaker who continues to study how technology shapes society. He also highlights how Primetime uses the series “to speak to the moment” decades later, shares his thoughts on A.I., talks about reuniting with Keanu Reeves on Broadway, and more.
a custom image of alex winter promoting his new movie adulthood COLLIDER: Before we get into Primetime , I’ve got a bunch of other questions. You’ve documented several technological revolutions. What's happening right now that you think we're going to look back on and realize we completely underestimated?
ALEX WINTER: I still think we're underestimating A.I. I think it's hype, and there's a lot of kind of nonsense around it, but I think in general, we're underestimating how it's going to be used by certain companies and oligarchs and whatever as an excuse to diminish the workforce in various areas. So I think that the disruption from A.I. is kind of being miscalculated a little bit. If I do a doc in technology, that's what I would do it on, would be on the actual implications of the A.I. land rush, essentially.
Listen, I completely agree with you. Just the other day, Disney announced more layoffs, and I will wager any amount of money it has to do with AI.
WINTER: Yeah, and I think that there's a hasty rush into this space and the hope that suddenly it'll replace labor with magic, right? Like you just suddenly won't need humans because you have this thing called A.I., which no one can usually explain to you what that is, including the people who run the A.I. company.
So, I mean, look, A.I.…