Actor Sean Penn was stunned Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman was willing to meet with him.
The Oscar-winning star made headlines earlier this month (Jan16) when his interview with the crime boss was published in Rolling Stone.
Sean met the fugitive at his hideout in the Mexican jungle in October (15), three months after Guzman had escaped from prison, and the star admits he was as shocked as anyone else when he was granted an audience with El Chapo.
"I was stunned that he would risk our trip. I was stunned," Penn said in an interview with U.S. news show 60 Minutes, which aired on Sunday (17Jan16). "I was baffled by his will to see us."
Penn's interview has raised many questions since it was published on 9 January (16), with some critics wondering whether the actor should have pushed Guzman to open up more about his crimes, but the star doesn't believe it was his role.
"I absolutely understand justice and the rule of law, and so I do what I call experiential journalism," he added. "I don’t have to be the one that reports on the alleged murders or the amount of narcotics that are brought in. I go and I spend time in the company of another human being."
But Penn fears he didn't achieve what he set out to do with the opportunity, which was discuss the U.S. government's war on drugs.
"I have a regret that the entire discussion about this article ignores its purpose, which was to try to contribute to this discussion about the policy in the war on drugs," he added. "We all want this drug problem to stop... We are the consumer.
"Whether you agree with Sean Penn or not, there is a complicity there... My article has failed."
The Oscar-winning star made headlines earlier this month (Jan16) when his interview with the crime boss was published in Rolling Stone.
Sean met the fugitive at his hideout in the Mexican jungle in October (15), three months after Guzman had escaped from prison, and the star admits he was as shocked as anyone else when he was granted an audience with El Chapo.
"I was stunned that he would risk our trip. I was stunned," Penn said in an interview with U.S. news show 60 Minutes, which aired on Sunday (17Jan16). "I was baffled by his will to see us."
Penn's interview has raised many questions since it was published on 9 January (16), with some critics wondering whether the actor should have pushed Guzman to open up more about his crimes, but the star doesn't believe it was his role.
"I absolutely understand justice and the rule of law, and so I do what I call experiential journalism," he added. "I don’t have to be the one that reports on the alleged murders or the amount of narcotics that are brought in. I go and I spend time in the company of another human being."
But Penn fears he didn't achieve what he set out to do with the opportunity, which was discuss the U.S. government's war on drugs.
"I have a regret that the entire discussion about this article ignores its purpose, which was to try to contribute to this discussion about the policy in the war on drugs," he added. "We all want this drug problem to stop... We are the consumer.
"Whether you agree with Sean Penn or not, there is a complicity there... My article has failed."
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