Sean Penn: 'My New Orleans efforts were sincere'

Movie star Sean Penn has hit back at reports he used the Hurricane Katrina tragedy as a publicity stunt.

The actor and activist has been charged with taking a personal photographer and crew to New Orleans, Louisiana - so they could document his efforts.

But angry Penn insists his motives were all good - he hired a boat and helped ferry 40 stranded locals to safety.

On Wednesday, he told CNN host Larry King: "We went in, a couple of friends of mine, on our own. Certainly we had the attention of some photographers. We tried to do what we could."