Sean Penn Says He Has ‘Nothin’ to Hide’ About ‘El Chapo’ Meeting

Sean Penn said Monday he has “nothin’ to hide” about his secret meeting with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, which helped lead authorities to the wanted fugitive.

The Hollywood actor who interviewed the Mexican drug kingpin in October for a Rolling Stone story told the Associated Press in a brief email exchange that he has no regrets about the clandestine visit. “I’ve got nothin’ to hide,” Penn wrote, according to the AP.

The news agency had asked the movie star, who occasionally moonlights as a journalist, to comment on photos published in Mexican news media Monday that appeared to show officials monitoring him and Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo, who helped broker the meeting. Mexican authorities want to question Penn and Castillo, according to NBC News.

Guzman was recaptured on Friday following his escape from a maximum-security prison more than six months ago. He was given final approval of the Rolling Stone article before it was published Saturday, according to the magazine’s website. Penn did not respond directly to questions on whether it was appropriate to give the story subject that power or if he took adequate measures to protect his source, according to the AP.