Actor Sean Penn said in a Friday preview of an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that his article based on a secret interview with then-fugitive cartel leader “El Chapo” “has failed” to achieve his goal of sparking conversation about the War on Drugs.
Penn met the notorious Sinaloa Cartel leader, whose real name is Joaquin Guzman, back in October with the help of Mexican actress Kate del Castillo. His story for Rolling Stone went live on Saturday, one day after Mexican authorities announced the fugitive’s capture. Journalists immediately criticized the piece.
“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,” Penn told host Charlie Rose.
He continued: “Let me be clear. My article has failed.”
Penn also suggested the journalists who tore apart his article were “green-eyed monsters.”
“When you get the story that every journalist in the world wanted, there’s a lot of green-eyed monsters who gonna come give you a kiss,” Penn said.
He also said he wanted to see the “license that says that (his critics are) journalists.”
Watch the clip below:
Sean, you cock-eyed optimist, we don’t have conversations in America about important social matters anymore; we have verbal drive-bys!
Dear Journal-- Today I became a journalist. And Sean Penn’s article totally opened my eyes to the War on Drugs. But I didn’t think of it first, so I’m gonna go on the internet and flame him SO BAD!
To be fair, I like Sean Penn and I think he’s got a good heart and some stand up politics, but his article failed because of his bizarre writing that permitted everyone to focus on anything but the issue and the article’s raison d’etre. I mean, he blabbered about farting and his cock and enjoying a piss on the side of the road. It was ridiculous and a distraction.
this one paragraph nails the whole thing. it’s time for everybody to move on.
Speaking of “cockeyed”, this is an excerpt from the interview between Penn and El Chapo, and it’s a little TMI…