(CNN) Without her help, Sean Penn says he never could have arranged a secret meeting with cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

And it all started with a tweet, the actor claims in a Rolling Stone article he wrote about the encounter

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.

"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 Twitter account in 2012.

Guzman should consider using his influence for the good of Mexico, she wrote.

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.

"Someone like that, at least we know who he is, we know what he does, we know what his profession is. The others sometimes are worse criminals, and have numbed us, and hide everything from us," she said.

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.

Apparently, her comments also caught the attention of Guzman himself.

the Sinaloa cartel chief sent del Castillo flowers to thank for her online post though the bouquet never reached her. In Penn's article, published Saturday , he says thatthe Sinaloa cartel chief sent del Castillo flowers to thank for her online post though the bouquet never reached her.

"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.

According to Penn, once El Chapo was arrested in 2014, Hollywood types reached out to the imprisoned cartel boss. But he decided that he wanted to collaborate with del Castillo, and he began corresponding with her through handwritten letters and BlackBerry messages.

Playing a crime boss on TV

El Chapo's communication with del Castillo continued even after his escape, Penn wrote, and that sparked the conversations that led to their meeting.

Del 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."

Guzman, who is accused of running a major network that distributes cocaine and heroin, has been indicted by U.S. authorities in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. In 2004, the U.S. government announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

He is worth about $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine, which began listing the drug kingpin on its billionaires list in 2009. (He was dropped from the list in 2013 because "his whereabouts are unknown" and financial information couldn't be verified.)

'Wouldn't it be cool ...'

Del Castillo's online post addresses the drug lord directly:

"Mr. 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. ... 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. "With no supply there is no demand. Do it, sir, and you would be the hero of heroes. Let's traffic with love. You know how."

The post sparked debate in Mexico and beyond the nation's borders.

After Guzman escaped from a maximum-security prison in Mexico in July, del Castillo told CNN en Español she was dumbfounded.

"I'm Mexican, and I get angry when, in the United States, people say bad things about Mexico, and I defend Mexico," she said. "But the moment comes when you can't defend that which is indefensible."

Del Castillo has remained silent so far on the Rolling Stone article, Guzman's arrest and her role in brokering the secret meeting in Mexico.