Though Sean Penn was one of the three protagonists in this controversial drama, it was more his passive actions and absence that narrated his intentions and declared his perspective. Months after Kate del Castillo had been contacted by El Chapo's lawyers and had already had an initial "meeting" with the latter, Sean Penn contacted the Mexican actress interested in a collaboration between the two for a movie. From what he described, what he wished to do was to join del Castillo in creating the film that would be detailing the Mexican kingpin's life. However, when the moment of truth came and both actors met El Chapo, Penn sprung on del Castillo his true but hidden agenda-- Penn wished to conduct an interview that would be published on the Rolling Stone magazine. 

     Sean Penn's criticism came both from Kate and from the public in general as they viewed him, essentially, as an egocentric liar who tricked and put Kate's life in danger for the sake of his fame and career. The political cartoon above portrays, visually, just that. It depicts El Chapo (right) and Penn (left) shaking hands. In the satirical cartoon, though placed side-by-side with a drug cartel leader, Penn is the one critiqued as the "repulsive, vile, loathsome, odious, egomaniac...".  This is the quintessence of the public's view on Penn-- very negative. 

     To worsen his already negative portrayal, Kate del Castillo's accusations against him were evidently shown in her statements. In her docuseries, the actress and others who were interviewed discussed how Penn had been deceitful and his true intentions unclear. Del Castillo used Foucault's technique of discrediting the opposing side. Throughout her 3-episode narrative, she described the events that happened (including Penn in the events) but always making sure to clarify that her and Penn's agendas were very different. While she was clear and intended on telling El Chapo's story, Penn was there to selfishly conduct his ~mysterious~ interview. Del Castillo exposes how he lied to her about his true intentions -which essentially put her life in danger- and tricked her. She also mentions the sexual and romantic affair that they both had during the trip, stating that it was only natural 'given the circumstances' and that she had 'given in'. 

     Though Kate's accusations against Sean Penn's moral compass and integrity make him already seem like the enemy in the story, it was his response- or lack of- that makes him appear even worse. According to the producers of the docuseries, he was contacted to give his version or to contribute to the piece but never responded. Apart from a couple of comments and statements made by himself (ie. "This is not about one person’s safety. These producers are propagating false and reckless fabrications for their profit. This is nothing but a cheap, National Enquirer-esque tale spun by a delusional person whose hunger for fame is both tawdry and transparent...") and from his manager, Penn did nothing but oppose Kate del Castillo's statements and publish his Rolling Stone article on January 1, 2016-- where he failed to give del Castillo any credit.