Sean Penn

Sean Penn says his article on Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman “failed” in its mission.

Speaking to CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the actor said his intention in tracking down the escaped drug kingpin and writing about him for “Rolling Stone” was to kick-start a discussion of the US government’s policy on the War on Drugs.

But the public’s attention has instead been focused on the fact that Penn found and met with Guzman for seven hours in a mountain hideout last October while he was still evading Mexican officials. He was apprehended only last week after six months on the run.

Excerpts from the interview with Penn were released Friday. The interview airs on “60 Minutes” Sunday.

Penn has been drawn into a controversy over whether he may have assisted in the recapture effort, or, conversely, may have prolonged the search by keeping silent until the article was published last week.

Penn said the Mexican government was “clearly very humiliated” but insisted he had played no role in Guzman’s eventual recapture.

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