Latin Superstar Kate Del Castillo Accuses Sean Penn of Using Her as 'Bait' for El Chapo Interview
Latin superstar Kate del Castillo slammed actor Sean Penn for using her as "bait" for an El Chapo interview.
Superstar Kate del Castillo Announces Landmark Deal With Global MMA Brand Combate Americas At Press Conference In Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Kate del Castillo announces a landmark deal with global MMA brand Combate Americas at LA River Studios on April 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
According to NY Post, the 48-year-old Mexican actress said Penn used her as a pawn in his 2015 interview with drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Rolling Stone published the 60-year-old American actor/activist's interview with El Chapo, months after the interview.
In an interview on "Red Table Talk: The Estefans" on Facebook, Del Castillo shared details of her account of her meeting with El Chapo and Penn in the Mexican mountains.
She told singer-host Gloria Estefan, her daughter Emily Estefan, and niece Lili Estefan that Penn never told her of his intentions to interview Guzman for the Rolling Stone magazine.
She said she felt betrayed by the actor. Del Castillo added that Penn never protected her, her family and everybody around her.
The beloved Latin superstar, who plays a powerful drug cartel boss in the series "La Reina del Sur," recalled sleeping and evacuating in El Chapo's compound, which the military raided hours later.
In Penn's article, he said there was a "checkpoint" when they were leaving. The actor claimed that soldiers recognized one of El Chapo's sons when their group passed through a military checkpoint.
Del Castillo claimed it "wasn't true." She said: "There was never a checkpoint. I hated him for that. But that's why his article was full of s-t."
While the Mexican government investigates Del Castillo for meeting with El Chapo, Penn's article made international headlines.
El Chapo was famous for escaping from two high-security prisons but eventually was captured in January 2016. In 2017, he was extradited to the United States.
El Chapo was sentenced last summer to life in prison for his crimes and is now serving time in ADX Florence in Colorado.
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Del Castillo also admitted having sex with Penn after the ordeal. It was a rumor that dominated the Latin American media at that time, as per Daily Mail.
In 2012, the actress caught the eye of El Chapo following a defiant tweet about Mexican government corruption.
"Today I believe more in El Chapo Guzman than in the governments that hide truths from me," Del Castillo wrote at the time.In a later tweet, she again addressed El Chapo, telling the drug lord and murderer "to traffic with love." El Chapo was accused of taking more than 3000 lives.
The international star didn't know that she was already an object of El Chapo's affection.
In 2014, after El Chapo was rearrested and sentenced to 20 years in jail, Del Castillo was approached by his lawyers while he was behind bars, hoping that Kate will be a help to tell his life story.
The actress was hoping Penn would lift the film to Hollywood after the project was left in limbo after El Chapo escaped from prison in 2015.
The actor suggested to Del Castillo that they meet with El Chapo. The actress decided to talk to El Chapo's people, although it was risky, but for the story's sake.
The actress was eventually branded by the media as El Chapo's accomplice and lover and things became so bad that she had to flee Mexico to avoid persecution and preserve the safety of her family.
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