( CNN ) -- It seemed innocent enough : two famous men running into each other at a public event by coincidence , exchanging pleasantries and small talk , and posing for a selfie later posted on Twitter . But the meeting between `` House of Cards '' actor Kevin Spacey and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto this month in Cancún is at the center of a political controversy in Mexico that caught both the Hollywood star and Mexican government by surprise . Spacey , who plays a president on the Netflix series , posted the selfie with the Mexican leader on May 7 . `` 1 President is real . W/Pres Nieto in # Mexico . Good meeting a man also making progress in 1st year in office . @ EPN '' was the caption on Twitter . The selfie was taken at Tianguis Turistico , an international tourism conference held in the beach resort of Cancún . Tour operators and tourism entrepreneurs and companies from around the world as well as Mexican officials and celebrities attend the event organized by the Mexican government . The Mexican President also posted a picture with Spacey on his Twitter account , although it was a more formal , sit-down meeting , with the two men talking and looking at each other . `` It was nice to be with actor @ KevinSpacey , special guest of # TianguisTuristico , last night in Cancun , '' Peña Nieto wrote on his Twitter account May 7 . `` To fans of @ HouseofCards , I 'm sorry , I ca n't give away details of the third season , '' the President jokingly wrote later . He also retweeted Spacey 's selfie . Controversy erupted May 12 after Mexican columnist Salvador García Soto wrote in the 24 Horas newspaper that Spacey had been paid $ 8 million by the Mexican federal government . Political analysts immediately started questioning whether the meeting had truly been `` a coincidence '' or a shameless , self-promotional ploy by the President , paid for by Mexican taxpayers . Spacey was the first to react to the storm of criticism in Mexico . `` Story about Mex Gov paying 8m or any amount for selfie not true ! Was In Mex for Tourist Board event . Meeting President not planned at all , '' Spacey tweeted May 16 . He had earlier tweeted that his endorsement of Peña Nieto was not necessarily personal . `` I guess nobody got the joke . I was in character as Francis Underwood in House of Cards , not myself ! I do n't know jack about Mexican politics , '' Spacey said . CNN reached out to Mexican officials for comment . In an e-mail , Rodolfo López Negrete , chief executive officer of the Mexico Tourism Board , said that Spacey was paid to appear at the tourism event but not to pose with the President . `` Kevin Spacey 's participation at the Tianguis Turistico was part of the event 's general program . The Tianguis is self-financed through the sale of booths and entry fees . We also have sponsors through which tourism service providers finance some costs , '' López Negrete wrote . López Negrete did n't specify the amount Spacey was paid for his appearance but said the entire event had a cost of between 40 million and 45 million pesos ( almost $ 3.1 million to $ 3.5 million ) . This and other explanations have done little to silence criticism in Mexico . A reader of 24 Horas , the newspaper that originally reported the payment , cynically asked his fellow Mexicans to pay their taxes . `` Let 's not stop in complying with our fiscal obligations , '' the reader wrote , `` so that Peña the Clown can keep on paying his favorite actors . Imbecile . So many children on the streets and families without a job and he 's spending Mexico 's money in his ( expletive ) hobbies . ''
Kevin Spacey meets Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at tourism conference in Cancún . Spacey 's selfie creates uproar after paper reports Mexican government paid actor $ 8 million . Mexican Tourism Board official denies Spacey paid to pose for picture with Peña Nieto . Comment: