Sean Penn has revealed "a terrible regret" about his interview with Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
The Hollywood star told CBS News he was disappointed his article has not sparked a discussion about the so-called war on drugs.
In an interview for the US network's 60 Minutes programme, he also denied he was to blame for the drug lord's arrest last week.
Penn, who interviewed El Chapo at his jungle lair in October for Rolling Stone magazine, told CBS host Charlie Rose: "I have a regret that the entire discussion about this article ignores its purpose, which was to try to contribute to this discussion about the policy in the war on drugs.
"Let's go to the big picture of what we all want. We all want this drug problem to stop. We all want them - the killings in Chicago to stop.
"We are the consumer. Whether you agree with Sean Penn or not, there is a complicity there.
"And if you are in the moral right, or on the far left, just as many of your children are doing these drugs.
"And how much time have they spent in the last week since this article come out, talking about that? One per cent? I think that'd be generous."
He added: "My article failed."
Penn also accused the Mexican government of trying to blame him for the kingpin's arrest so the Sinaloa cartel would seek revenge against the actor.
Mexico's Attorney General has said Penn's contacts with El Chapo were "essential" to helping them track down the fugitive, who escaped from prison in July last year.
But Penn says the authorities were "clearly very humiliated" by the perception that an actor had found the narco boss before them.
Rose asked Penn if he was fearful for his life, and the Dead Man Walking star replied: "No."
Critics ridiculed his foray into gonzo journalism as naive, badly written and navel-gazing.
In Mexico, where many reporters have been murdered by drug cartels, media commentators called Penn's scoop El Chapo "propaganda" and an "insult to journalists".
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