In September, del Castillo became an American citizen. She usually doesn’t hesitate to give her opinion on social media. “But the moment comes when you can’t defend that which is indefensible.”ĭel Castillo has remained silent so far on the Rolling Stone article, Guzman’s arrest and her role in brokering the secret meeting in Mexico. “I’m Mexican, and I get angry when, in the United States, people say bad things about Mexico, and I defend Mexico,” she said. The post sparked debate in Mexico and beyond the nation’s borders.Īfter Guzman escaped from a maximum-security prison in Mexico in July, del Castillo told CNN en Español she was dumbfounded. Do it, sir, and you would be the hero of heroes. … trafficking with corrupt politicians instead of with women and children that end up as slaves? With burning all the pimps that treat a woman like she’s worth no more than a pack of cigarettes?” she wrote. Chapo: Wouldn’t it be cool if you started to traffic in goodness? With cures for diseases, with food for children in the street, with alcohol for nursing homes. (He was dropped from the list in 2013 because “his whereabouts are unknown” and financial information couldn’t be verified.)ĭel Castillo’s online post addresses the drug lord directly: He is worth about $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine, which began listing the drug kingpin on its billionaires list in 2009. government announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. authorities in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Guzman, who is accused of running a major network that distributes cocaine and heroin, has been indicted by U.S.
But he decided that he wanted to collaborate with del Castillo, and he began corresponding with her through handwritten letters and BlackBerry messages.Įl Chapo’s communication with del Castillo continued even after his escape, Penn wrote, and that sparked the conversations that led to their meeting.ĭel Castillo, 43, starred as a drug trafficker in Telemundo’s popular prime-time soap opera “La Reina del Sur” (“The Queen of the South”) and also played Mexican crime boss Pilar Zuazo on the Showtime series “Weeds.” More recently, she’s appeared on the American comedy “Jane the Virgin” and in last year’s film about the Chilean miners, “The 33.” “It perhaps should have come as no surprise that this homegrown icon of entertainment would catch the interest of a singular fan and fugitive from Sinaloa,” Penn wrote.Īccording to Penn, once El Chapo was arrested in 2014, Hollywood types reached out to the imprisoned cartel boss. In Penn’s article, published Saturday, he says that the Sinaloa cartel chief sent del Castillo flowers to thank for her online post though the bouquet never reached her. The online post, which called for Guzman to “traffic in love,” sparked controversy in Mexico over the actress’s perceived support of the drug lord.Īpparently, her comments also caught the attention of Guzman himself. The others sometimes are worse criminals, and have numbed us, and hide everything from us,” she said. “Someone like that, at least we know who he is, we know what he does, we know what his profession is. In an interview last year, del Castillo told CNN en Español that her message was a criticism of Mexican political leaders rather than a compliment to Guzman. Guzman should consider using his influence for the good of Mexico, she wrote. “Today I believe more in El Chapo Guzman than in the governments that hide the truth from me even though it is painful,” del Castillo said in a message linked to her Spanish-language Twitter account in 2012.
Kate del Castillo, an outspoken Mexican and American actress who cemented her fame with portrayals of crime bosses on television, posted a message online four years ago.
Sean Penn recounts his secret visit with El Chapo, months before the drug lord's recapture /A0WGY6xFpj LOS ANGELES – Without her help, Sean Penn says he never could have arranged a secret meeting with cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.Īnd it all started with a tweet, the actor claims in a Rolling Stone article he wrote about the encounter. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.