Kate del Castillo’s documentary “The Day I Met El Chapo” is now available on Netflix, and that has Sean Penn’s camp seething.
“This is nothing but a cheap, National Enquirer-esque tale spun by a delusional person whose hunger for fame is both tawdry and transparent,” Penn’s spokesperson Mark Fabiani told TheWrap via email.
Reps for the “Dead Man Walking” star are angry with the streaming service, the documentary’s producers, and the telenovela lifer herself over the release of the project, which they think paints Penn in a negative light. Among the “Mystic River” actor’s issues is an implication he believes the docu-series makes that suggests Penn tipped off the U.S. Department of Justice to the whereabouts of the then prison escapee.
Weeks after Penn and del Castillo now-infamously met with Joaquín Guzmán in a Mexican jungle, which the actor previously chronicled in a Rolling Stone story, the drug lord was recaptured by authorities. When dealing with the Mexican cartel, such a “ratting” charge could become dangerous, which is the fear of Penn’s camp. Also, the assertion is simply not true, his side says.
Per Penn’s representatives, the actor repeatedly asked Netflix and producers to see an early cut of the del Castillo documentary. After the “Milk” star finally got to watch one, Penn wanted to participate in a final cut to clear up what he saw as factual inaccuracies from the Mexican soap opera star’s side of the story. That request was not granted, nor would producers edit out the D.O.J. connection in question. Penn’s side tells us that there would have been plenty of time to incorporate either change before Friday’s premiere. He first asked about one month out.
“The producers evidently did not care about accuracy or truth and refused to cooperate,” Fabiani said. “It must be noted that Ms. Del Castillo participated in the fact checking process of the Rolling Stone article authored by Mr. Penn.”
The three-part docu-series concludes with subtitles that say Penn did not respond to multiple requests for an on-camera interview.
Continuing Penn’s side of this he said/she said, Fabiani sees his client’s written take on their fateful El Chapo meeting as legitimate journalism. Fabiani looks at del Castillo as a mere opportunist.
“All one needs to know about Kate del Castillo is a scene in her self-proclaimed ‘documentary’ where she rides a motorcycle around Los Angeles with her full name commercially printed boldly across the front of her helmet,” he wrote. “If Sean had seen that, he might have seen the red flag of her ego, which she has now firmly elevated over the truth.”
Representatives for Netflix, del Castillo and the production company behind “The Day I Met El Chapo” did not immediately return TheWrap’s requests for comment on the conflict.
Read Fabiani’s email to TheWrap in full:
This is nothing but a cheap, National Enquirer-esque tale spun by a delusional person whose hunger for fame is both tawdry and transparent.
With regard to the timing of the documentary, the change requested by Mr. Penn after he finally was able to view the documentary could have easily been made in advance of the documentary’s first showing. It is common to ask to see a cut before agreeing to participate. Mr. Penn’s sole interest was to ensure that the documentary was factual and accurate rather than containing reckless fabrications. The offer for Mr. Penn to participate or his request for a minor edit by the producers focused only on the most egregious point. But the producers evidently did not care about accuracy or truth and refused to cooperate. It must be noted that Ms. Del Castillo participated in the fact checking process of the Rolling Stone article authored by Mr. Penn.
Finally, all one needs to know about Kate del Castillo is a scene in her self-proclaimed “documentary” where she rides a motorcycle around Los Angeles with her full name commercially printed boldly across the front of her helmet. If Sean had seen that, he might have seen the red flag of her ego, which she has now firmly elevated over the truth.