Sean Penn: El Chapo's capture makes my article a failure

Sean Penn is displeased with the lack of interest in his article.

(Image credit: ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/Getty Images)

published 15 January 2016

Actor Sean Penn stunned just about everyone by publishing an interview with notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in Rolling Stone last Saturday — but now Penn says his controversial article has "failed." Speaking with CBS host Charlie Rose for an interview to be broadcast Sunday on 60 Minutes, Penn said he has "a terrible regret" that El Chapo's capture last Friday after six months on the run distracted from his article.

"Let's go to the big picture of what we all want. We all want this drug problem to stop […] And how much time have they spent in the last week since this article come out, talking about that? One percent? I think that'd be generous," Penn said, going on to explain that in his eyes, his article had "failed."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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