WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.859 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we are looking 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:05.099 at a face that, well, you've definitely seen 00:00:05.099 --> 00:00:07.620 it. It's become such a fixture of modern cinema, 00:00:07.820 --> 00:00:10.160 instantly recognizable. Oh yeah, absolutely. 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:13.560 That iconic scarred visage, the long dark hair, 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:17.539 the mustache. The intense gaze. We are talking 00:00:17.539 --> 00:00:20.800 about Danny Trejo. Machete himself. Exactly. 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:24.100 The man Hollywood just loves to cast as the ultimate, 00:00:24.339 --> 00:00:27.100 you know, the ubiquitous badass, the anti -hero. 00:00:27.260 --> 00:00:29.859 But here's the thing, right? If you only know 00:00:29.859 --> 00:00:32.079 him for those characters, the assassins, the 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:33.979 convicts, the really intimidating gangsters, 00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:37.100 then you are missing, well, the most extraordinary 00:00:37.100 --> 00:00:39.259 part of the story. That's what we're diving into. 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:41.240 Yeah, the real deep dive here isn't just about 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:44.479 the film roles, fascinating as they are. It's 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:46.719 about the decades -long transformation of the 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:49.420 man himself. The huge transformation. We're basically 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:51.799 tracing his path from being, you know, a violent 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:54.179 criminal and addict, someone who spent 10 years 00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:56.200 cycling through the absolute toughest prisons 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:58.670 in California. Even facing capital charges. Chasing 00:00:58.670 --> 00:01:00.969 the death penalty. Right. From that to becoming 00:01:00.969 --> 00:01:03.789 this massively celebrated, successful entrepreneur, 00:01:04.290 --> 00:01:07.310 restaurateur, and maybe most importantly, fundamentally, 00:01:07.609 --> 00:01:10.950 a dedicated public servant and substance abuse 00:01:10.950 --> 00:01:14.290 counselor. It truly is a remarkable arc of redemption, 00:01:14.569 --> 00:01:17.629 but it's one paved with some profound trauma. 00:01:17.829 --> 00:01:21.010 Oh, definitely. And a commitment to change that 00:01:21.010 --> 00:01:23.769 was forged in, well, the most brutal circumstances 00:01:23.769 --> 00:01:27.060 imaginable. Our sources for this deep dive, they 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:29.659 give us a pretty comprehensive look, right? Chronological, 00:01:29.859 --> 00:01:32.659 thematic, covering his whole life. Yeah, we'll 00:01:32.659 --> 00:01:34.840 move from that really harsh childhood, the deep 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:37.000 immersion in crime and drug use. All the way 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:39.400 through to how he kind of accidentally stumbled 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:42.159 into Hollywood. And then built this whole multimedia 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:45.659 and culinary empire. It's wild. So the mission 00:01:45.659 --> 00:01:48.000 here is really to unpack that central paradox 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.049 of his life. Exactly. How did a guy who genuinely 00:01:51.049 --> 00:01:53.609 thought his life was destined to end behind bars? 00:01:53.890 --> 00:01:56.569 Yeah. How does he become a global icon whose 00:01:56.569 --> 00:02:00.090 films have grossed billions? And crucially, how 00:02:00.090 --> 00:02:01.989 does he do that while maintaining the integrity 00:02:01.989 --> 00:02:04.390 of the counselor he chose to become, what, 50 00:02:04.390 --> 00:02:07.310 years ago now? Right. So this is less about Machete, 00:02:07.310 --> 00:02:09.370 the movie villain. And more about understanding 00:02:09.370 --> 00:02:12.169 the counselor behind Machete, the guy who ultimately 00:02:12.169 --> 00:02:15.270 embodied him, but is so much more. OK, let's 00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:17.750 let's unpack this journey then, because the starting 00:02:17.750 --> 00:02:21.550 point. Wow. It's incredibly dark. Rooted in instability, 00:02:21.930 --> 00:02:24.370 generational trauma. Yeah, definitely. Danny 00:02:24.370 --> 00:02:28.810 Trejo, born May 16th, 1944, Maywood, California. 00:02:29.349 --> 00:02:31.789 Raised mostly in working class areas like Echo 00:02:31.789 --> 00:02:34.150 Park and Pacoima. And that background, it sounds 00:02:34.150 --> 00:02:36.210 like it set the stage for turbulence almost immediately. 00:02:36.710 --> 00:02:40.169 Absolutely. His father, Denicio Dan Frejo, was 00:02:40.169 --> 00:02:42.710 a construction worker. And Danny's early life 00:02:42.710 --> 00:02:45.629 was just marked by severe abuse from him. Physical, 00:02:45.750 --> 00:02:48.360 emotional. Really tough start. Yeah. And get 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:51.120 this. One source notes that early on, the family 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.020 actually had to flee L .A. for San Antonio, Texas 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:56.360 for a bit. Why? Because his father was wanted 00:02:56.360 --> 00:02:58.939 by the police after stabbing a man. So, you know, 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:00.759 this wasn't exactly a stable, sheltered upbringing 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:02.560 we're talking about. No kidding. And then the 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:05.199 introduction to substance abuse, it happened 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.960 staggeringly young, like almost guaranteeing 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:10.020 that descent into crime. The sources are really 00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:12.479 specific here. It was his uncle Gilbert who was 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:14.659 apparently a huge influence. Not always a good 00:03:14.659 --> 00:03:17.189 one, it sounds like. Well, no. He introduced 00:03:17.189 --> 00:03:19.849 him to substances. Yeah. Marijuana by age eight. 00:03:19.949 --> 00:03:22.569 Eight years old. Yeah. Then heroin by age 12. 00:03:22.729 --> 00:03:26.150 And by 18, cocaine was in the mix. And this wasn't 00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:28.969 just like trying things out. No, not at all. 00:03:29.030 --> 00:03:33.030 The addiction was immediate, intense. Traer himself 00:03:33.030 --> 00:03:35.650 described overdosing on his very first heroin 00:03:35.650 --> 00:03:38.509 fix. Wow. Facilitated by that same Uncle Gilbert. 00:03:39.210 --> 00:03:42.330 So this brutal early intro, it just fueled his 00:03:42.330 --> 00:03:44.669 criminal activity, which also started incredibly 00:03:44.669 --> 00:03:47.539 young. First recorded drug deal at age seven. 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:50.180 Seven. It's hard to even process that. I know. 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:53.919 And by age 10, that cycle, the one between crime 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.800 and incarceration, it really began. First arrested, 00:03:56.979 --> 00:03:59.259 first time locked up in Eastlake Juvenile Hall, 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:02.800 1956. So this wasn't just a one -off bad decision. 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:05.400 This set a pattern. Exactly. Dominated the next 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:07.840 decade of his life. Juvenile Hall became like 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:09.699 a revolving door for him. And the incidents, 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:11.879 they escalated pretty quickly in severity, right? 00:04:12.219 --> 00:04:13.919 Oh yeah, the sources talk about intermittent 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.740 jail stints all through the 1960s. Moving from 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:22.060 juvie to adult places. We know he served three 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:25.439 years at Camp Glenrocky in San Dimas. What for? 00:04:25.899 --> 00:04:28.300 For a really brutal crime, actually. Maming a 00:04:28.300 --> 00:04:30.100 sailor. He stabbed him in the face with breaking 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:33.480 glass. Jeez. As a young man. A very young man. 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.279 That level of violence... It just shows the environment 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:38.660 he was completely immersed in. So the California 00:04:38.660 --> 00:04:41.300 prison system basically became his home turf 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:45.100 between 59 and 69. Pretty much. Cycled through 00:04:45.100 --> 00:04:47.819 the places that are, you know, infamous. Synonymous 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:50.660 with the toughest lockups in the U .S. San Quentin, 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:53.459 Folsom, Soledad, Vacaville, Susanville, Sierra. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:56.879 Terrifying resume, really, just of confinement. 00:04:57.100 --> 00:04:59.259 And that context gives us one of the stranger 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:01.620 historical footnotes I saw in the sources. Ah, 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:04.420 the Charles Manson connection. Yeah. In 1961, 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:06.579 he was in the L .A. County Jail temporarily, 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:09.279 and he crossed paths with Manson. Yeah, it's 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.899 wild. Remember, this is years before the Tate 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:14.319 -LaBianca murders, obviously. But Manson was 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:16.279 already apparently kind of notorious in that 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:18.339 jail environment. What was Trejo's impression 00:05:18.339 --> 00:05:20.759 of him back then? He described him as a, quote, 00:05:21.339 --> 00:05:25.430 dirty, greasy, scrawny white boy. Okay. But importantly, 00:05:25.709 --> 00:05:29.069 he also noted that Manson was supposedly a really 00:05:29.069 --> 00:05:32.370 talented hypnotist and deeply charismatic, even 00:05:32.370 --> 00:05:34.910 that. Strange encounter. Well, it just shows 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:37.230 the sheer chaotic mix of people thrown together 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:39.889 in the L .A. jail system back then, right? The 00:05:39.889 --> 00:05:42.589 future Hollywood icon sharing space with a future 00:05:42.589 --> 00:05:45.610 cult leader, both just steeped in the criminal 00:05:45.610 --> 00:05:48.230 underworld. It's a stark reminder of the violence 00:05:48.230 --> 00:05:51.370 and chaos that defined his life inside. But what's 00:05:51.370 --> 00:05:53.829 fascinating here is even amidst all that, witnessing 00:05:53.829 --> 00:05:56.670 murders, being a debt collector, dealing drugs, 00:05:56.889 --> 00:06:00.050 he found this kind of paradoxical structure in 00:06:00.050 --> 00:06:02.810 one area, boxing. Yeah, it says a lot about his, 00:06:02.949 --> 00:06:05.370 I guess, innate discipline or maybe just survival 00:06:05.370 --> 00:06:08.189 instinct. Despite the drugs, the chaos, he focused 00:06:08.189 --> 00:06:10.629 intensely on physical training. He wasn't just 00:06:10.629 --> 00:06:12.970 surviving in there. He was actually excelling 00:06:12.970 --> 00:06:15.370 at something. Became the lightweight and welterweight 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:18.410 boxing champion at San Quentin. Exactly. While 00:06:18.410 --> 00:06:21.019 incarcerated. So think about that. He's simultaneously 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:24.000 a drug dealer, an enforcer for internal debts, 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:27.459 and a champion athlete whose reputation probably 00:06:27.459 --> 00:06:29.699 gave him some protection. It's this complex, 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:33.040 contradictory discipline, isn't it? And it kind 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:34.860 of set the stage for the moment that finally 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:38.000 forced a total shift, a massive prison riot. 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:40.860 Right. The pivotal moment, the 1968 Cinco de 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:43.540 Mayo riot at Soledad Prison. Yeah, it was chaotic, 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:46.779 violent. And during the whole thing, Trejo, you 00:06:46.779 --> 00:06:48.790 know. He, at the moment, hits a guard with a 00:06:48.790 --> 00:06:51.970 rock. Big mistake. Huge. Led to him being immediately 00:06:51.970 --> 00:06:55.470 isolated, put in solitary confinement, and facing 00:06:55.470 --> 00:06:57.470 capital charges. Meaning the death penalty was 00:06:57.470 --> 00:07:00.149 on the table? Potentially, yeah. The gas chamber. 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:02.250 That must have felt like the absolute end of 00:07:02.250 --> 00:07:04.230 the line. Had to be his rock bottom. It was. 00:07:04.689 --> 00:07:07.449 Totally isolated, no distractions, facing the 00:07:07.449 --> 00:07:10.230 ultimate consequence. The sources say that's 00:07:10.230 --> 00:07:12.589 when he finally, truly committed to changing 00:07:12.589 --> 00:07:14.850 his life. Completely. What did he do in solitary? 00:07:15.470 --> 00:07:17.750 Well, he found faith. He earned his high school 00:07:17.750 --> 00:07:20.410 diploma. And crucially, he successfully confronted 00:07:20.410 --> 00:07:23.790 and overcame those deep, decade -long drug addictions. 00:07:24.250 --> 00:07:27.310 Started a 12 -step program right there in solitary. 00:07:27.589 --> 00:07:30.170 So that solitude, it became like the forge for 00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:32.930 his redemption. Pretty much. And the commitment 00:07:32.930 --> 00:07:34.889 he made then, it wasn't temporary. It stuck. 00:07:35.269 --> 00:07:38.250 It was the defining choice of his life. He said 00:07:38.250 --> 00:07:40.870 back in 2011 that he'd been sober for the preceding 00:07:40.870 --> 00:07:43.230 42 years. Incredible. So this wasn't just about 00:07:43.230 --> 00:07:44.870 getting out of prison. This was a fundamental 00:07:44.870 --> 00:07:48.670 overhaul, spiritual, physical. Yeah. He was released 00:07:48.670 --> 00:07:52.370 in July 1969, served five years of a 10 -year 00:07:52.370 --> 00:07:55.009 sentence. But importantly, his transition back 00:07:55.009 --> 00:07:57.829 to civilian life wasn't about waiting for Hollywood 00:07:57.829 --> 00:08:00.269 to call. Not at all. What did he do? It involved 00:08:00.269 --> 00:08:03.720 hard, stable work. reinforcing that structure 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.319 he found in prison boxing and sobriety. His pre 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:08.500 -acting resume is actually pretty robust. Yeah. 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:11.759 And it shows this dedication to, like, real labor. 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:15.100 Totally. Labor foreman helped build major L .A. 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:17.519 landmarks like the Cinerama Dome. No way. Yeah. 00:08:18.389 --> 00:08:20.410 gardener, salesperson, even part owner of a lawn 00:08:20.410 --> 00:08:22.670 care company. But the role that really defined 00:08:22.670 --> 00:08:24.629 his future, the one that eventually led him straight 00:08:24.629 --> 00:08:26.670 onto a film set. Was the substance abuse counsel 00:08:26.670 --> 00:08:28.930 job. Exactly. A job he started and dedicated 00:08:28.930 --> 00:08:32.169 himself to since 1973, long before any acting. 00:08:32.350 --> 00:08:34.169 Okay, so we've got this guy who successfully 00:08:34.169 --> 00:08:37.330 rebuilt his life. He's a devoted counselor, a 00:08:37.330 --> 00:08:40.909 hard worker. How does someone like that, a former 00:08:40.909 --> 00:08:43.610 prison bossing champ who's focused on helping 00:08:43.610 --> 00:08:46.950 addicts, accidentally end up in a major Hollywood 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:50.389 movie? It sounds almost made up. It is one of 00:08:50.389 --> 00:08:53.309 those incredible stories of like cosmic chance. 00:08:53.570 --> 00:08:56.350 And it all kicked off entirely within the context 00:08:56.350 --> 00:08:58.149 of his counseling work. Right. He was working 00:08:58.149 --> 00:09:00.529 with a nonprofit. Yeah. Western Pacific Med Corps, 00:09:00.649 --> 00:09:02.990 helping them set up sober living houses in the 00:09:02.990 --> 00:09:05.230 San Fernando Valley. And this work meant he had 00:09:05.230 --> 00:09:07.759 to be on call like constantly. And that's what 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.679 led to the phone call? That's it. Late one night, 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:13.059 1985. Gets a desperate call. Not from an agent 00:09:13.059 --> 00:09:14.820 or anything. It was from a teenage patient. A 00:09:14.820 --> 00:09:17.059 patient? Yeah, who needed immediate help dealing 00:09:17.059 --> 00:09:19.980 with cocaine problems. Right there, on the set 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:21.960 of a major Hollywood production. Which movie? 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:25.179 Runaway Train. Wow. So he literally shows up 00:09:25.179 --> 00:09:28.700 on a movie set as a counselor, focused only on 00:09:28.700 --> 00:09:31.440 intervention, helping his client, not looking 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:33.480 for a career change at all. Not in the slightest. 00:09:33.659 --> 00:09:35.960 It's the ultimate irony, isn't it? His commitment 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:38.460 to service is what accidentally introduced him 00:09:38.460 --> 00:09:40.200 to the world of acting. So what happened when 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:42.860 he got there? Well, he went, had the client, 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:45.639 and then someone offered him a job as an extra 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.139 just to hang around the set for the prison scenes, 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:50.580 look authentic. And his motivation for taking 00:09:50.580 --> 00:09:53.720 it? Two things, really. Easy money. It was like 00:09:53.720 --> 00:09:56.539 $50 a day, which wasn't bad then. Right. And 00:09:56.539 --> 00:09:59.250 he figured shrewdly... that the publicity might 00:09:59.250 --> 00:10:01.730 actually help his counseling work, make him more 00:10:01.730 --> 00:10:04.429 recognizable to other potential clients who needed 00:10:04.429 --> 00:10:07.210 help turning their lives around. So he saw acting, 00:10:07.429 --> 00:10:10.330 initially anyway, as just a way to fund his real 00:10:10.330 --> 00:10:13.429 passion, the counseling. Pretty much. But that 00:10:13.429 --> 00:10:16.950 $50 a day extra job, it escalated really fast, 00:10:17.110 --> 00:10:19.750 thanks to a moment of recognition on set. The 00:10:19.750 --> 00:10:22.049 Edward Bunker connection. Exactly. Edward Bunker 00:10:22.049 --> 00:10:24.129 himself, a fascinating character, right? A former 00:10:24.129 --> 00:10:26.919 career criminal. turned respected crime author 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:29.639 and he wrote the screenplay for runaway train 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:32.259 he did and bunker immediately recognized trejo 00:10:32.259 --> 00:10:34.600 they'd done time together at san quentin must 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:37.279 have been surreal meeting again like that one's 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:39.240 a screenwriter the other's a counselor pretending 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:42.679 to be an extra totally surreal and bunker remembering 00:10:42.679 --> 00:10:45.159 trejo's reputation as the prison boxing champ 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:48.620 he leveraged that history instantly ow he got 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:51.340 trejo a much better job paid way more than being 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:55.200 an extra like $320 to $350 a day. Damn what? 00:10:55.379 --> 00:10:57.559 As the personal trainer and boxing advisor for 00:10:57.559 --> 00:11:00.379 the lead actor, Eric Roberts. Whoa, that's a 00:11:00.379 --> 00:11:03.080 huge jump in pay just based on a skill he learned 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:05.720 in prison. Yeah, like seven times the daily rate. 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:08.259 His reaction to that first paycheck, that big 00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:09.639 one, he said, I thought they made a mistake. 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:11.659 Tells you everything about where he came from 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:13.600 financially. So it wasn't just coaching though. 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:17.600 No, Bunker saw more. He saw that undeniable authenticity 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:20.740 Trejo just radiated. So he convinced the director, 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:24.580 Andrei Konchalovsky, to give Trejo a small acting 00:11:24.580 --> 00:11:27.139 role. Arguing what? That he was real? Basically, 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:29.799 yeah. That his genuine experience as a former 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:31.899 inmate would bring a reality to the prison drama 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:35.379 that no trained actor could fake. That raw, lived 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:37.799 reality. That was the stark that lit the fuse 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:40.320 for his entire acting career. His first credited 00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.480 film role came a bit later, right? Death Wish 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:46.440 4. The crackdown in 87, Art Sinella. Yep. And 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:49.460 what's striking is how immediately and how persistently 00:11:49.460 --> 00:11:52.620 he got typecast. Right. Straight into roles as 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:55.059 inmates, gangsters, or other criminals. Instantly. 00:11:55.299 --> 00:11:58.120 But here's the key thing, at least from his perspective 00:11:58.120 --> 00:12:01.720 back then. Trejo didn't see it as stereotyping 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:04.500 or a limitation, not initially. He actually said, 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:06.840 I did not know I was being stereotyped. I just 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:09.419 knew I was working. Work was work. Exactly. By 00:12:09.419 --> 00:12:12.899 1989, just being an extra could bring him $700 00:12:12.899 --> 00:12:16.320 in a good month. That was stable, honest income. 00:12:16.750 --> 00:12:19.350 a massive victory over his past, no matter what 00:12:19.350 --> 00:12:21.269 character he played. Okay, but the film that 00:12:21.269 --> 00:12:23.289 really put him on the map, gave him that early 00:12:23.289 --> 00:12:25.590 persona, was Blood In, Blood Out in 1993. Oh 00:12:25.590 --> 00:12:27.529 yeah, that film was huge. Yeah. Gave him what 00:12:27.529 --> 00:12:30.570 the sources call legitimate worldwide fame, especially 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:33.029 in the Chicano cinema world and beyond. But filming 00:12:33.029 --> 00:12:35.090 it must have been intense for him. Incredibly 00:12:35.090 --> 00:12:37.649 visceral. They filmed scenes at his actual former 00:12:37.649 --> 00:12:39.889 prison, San Quentin. He talked about how deeply 00:12:39.889 --> 00:12:42.289 uncomfortable it was shooting scenes in C -550. 00:12:42.450 --> 00:12:44.990 Which was his old cell. His exact former cell. 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:48.620 For him, stepping back into that specific space 00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:52.080 wasn't just acting. It was dredging up really 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:54.899 deep, painful memories. And the stakes around 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:56.860 that film, they weren't just on set, were they? 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:00.019 They kind of bled back into the real criminal 00:13:00.019 --> 00:13:02.919 world he'd left behind. Yes. This is a crucial 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:05.899 kind of scary detail. It highlights the real 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:08.720 dangers he was still navigating. He claims he 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:11.000 was initially offered the lead role, Pedro Santana, 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:14.120 in Edward James Olmos' film American Me. Okay. 00:13:14.649 --> 00:13:17.509 But rumors started swirling fast within the criminal 00:13:17.509 --> 00:13:20.110 underworld, specifically involving the Mexican 00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:23.230 mafia. The word was the American Me script was 00:13:23.230 --> 00:13:25.929 taking, let's say, narrative liberties and revealing 00:13:25.929 --> 00:13:28.350 too much about their internal structure. Oof, 00:13:28.350 --> 00:13:30.669 that sounds like a terrifying situation to be 00:13:30.669 --> 00:13:33.210 in. It absolutely was. Before Trejo could even 00:13:33.210 --> 00:13:35.230 go to a second meeting with Olmos, he apparently 00:13:35.230 --> 00:13:37.809 got a call directly from Joe Pegleg Morgan. The 00:13:37.809 --> 00:13:41.139 Don of the Mexican mafia. The longtime Don. Known 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:43.480 for being notoriously ruthless, Trejo claims 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:45.480 Morgan essentially approved of him choosing the 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:47.860 role in Blood In, Blood Out instead of American 00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:49.899 Me. So it wasn't just a career choice. It was 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:52.879 about survival. It feels like it. Accepting Blood 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:56.320 In, Blood Out was the safer, you know, sanctioned 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:59.860 option. Avoided potential trouble. That context 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:02.159 adds incredible weight to those early career 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:05.399 moves. Okay, let's connect this world, this authenticity 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:08.860 and threat to the actual craft of acting. His 00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:11.820 experience on Michael Mann's Heat in 1995 seems 00:14:11.820 --> 00:14:14.299 like a big learning moment. Heat was absolutely 00:14:14.299 --> 00:14:18.039 a masterclass for him in subtlety, professionalism. 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:20.419 And it started with another bizarre coincidence. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:23.039 What was it? Director Michael Mann initially 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:25.519 mistook Trejo for his Uncle Gilbert. The same 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:28.159 Uncle Gilbert who introduced him to drugs? No, 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.399 no, another Uncle Gilbert, apparently. Mann had 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:33.019 met this Uncle Gilbert years earlier while shooting 00:14:33.019 --> 00:14:35.860 The Jericho Mile at Folsom. And this Gilbert 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:38.559 was supposedly a significant shot caller inside 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:40.759 the prison. So Mann thought he was hiring this 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.600 infamous shot caller's nephew, or maybe the shot 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:45.779 caller himself. He thought Trejo was Gilbert 00:14:45.779 --> 00:14:47.899 at first. So in honor of this Uncle Gilbert, 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:50.320 Mann actually changed Trejo's character name 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.820 in the script from Vince to Trejo. That's a strange 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:56.240 kind of honor. Definitely rooted in respect for 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:58.679 the authenticity that family name carried within 00:14:58.679 --> 00:15:01.759 that world. But more importantly, heat is where 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:04.330 Trejo... really transitioned from just being 00:15:04.330 --> 00:15:06.669 an authentic presence to becoming a professional 00:15:06.669 --> 00:15:09.470 actor. What did he learn specifically, especially 00:15:09.470 --> 00:15:11.929 working alongside legends like Robert De Niro? 00:15:12.090 --> 00:15:15.009 De Niro apparently mentored him really patiently, 00:15:15.269 --> 00:15:19.049 acted as an instructive scene partner. Trejo 00:15:19.049 --> 00:15:21.710 talked about working these grueling 17 -hour 00:15:21.710 --> 00:15:24.990 days alongside De Niro, Val Kilmer, John Voight. 00:15:25.550 --> 00:15:28.750 Intense. Yeah. And De Niro taught him that professional 00:15:28.750 --> 00:15:31.049 discipline you need for major film production, 00:15:31.330 --> 00:15:34.590 learning to, quote, save their performances for 00:15:34.590 --> 00:15:37.029 when it mattered. Meaning? Meaning don't burn 00:15:37.029 --> 00:15:39.070 yourself out during all the repetitive takes 00:15:39.070 --> 00:15:42.049 or the downtime. Keep that intensity ready for 00:15:42.049 --> 00:15:44.110 the moment the camera actually rolls. It's a 00:15:44.110 --> 00:15:45.769 kind of discipline, that expert application of 00:15:45.769 --> 00:15:48.470 energy. It directly echoes the control he learned 00:15:48.470 --> 00:15:50.450 boxing in prison, doesn't it? It really does. 00:15:50.570 --> 00:15:53.230 And the ultimate proof of his growing confidence 00:15:53.230 --> 00:15:55.950 on that set. He and De Niro actually improvised 00:15:55.950 --> 00:15:57.710 the death scene for his character, Trejo. They 00:15:57.710 --> 00:16:01.009 improvised it. Yeah. To go from being this untrained 00:16:01.009 --> 00:16:04.710 extra just a few years earlier to improvising 00:16:04.710 --> 00:16:07.230 a critical dramatic moment with Robert De Niro, 00:16:07.350 --> 00:16:11.450 it just shows how rapidly he was adapting. Learning 00:16:11.450 --> 00:16:14.000 the craft. All while drawing on that deep well 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:16.240 of life experience. Speaking of connections from 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:18.639 that time, the partnership that really defined 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.799 his later career wasn't a former convict, it 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:23.840 was family. Though he didn't even know it at 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:25.580 first. Right, the Robert Rodriguez connection. 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:27.899 How did that happen? How did they find out they 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:29.860 were related? It's another one of those amazing 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:33.120 accidents in his life. Trejo and Rodriguez. They're 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:36.460 actually second cousins. No way. Yeah. And they 00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:38.419 had no idea until they were actually on set together 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:41.940 filming Desperado in 1995. Rodriguez's sister, 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:44.000 Patricia Vaughn, she's an actress, too. She's 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:46.100 also Trado's second cousin. So they figure this 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:47.980 out on set. And once that connection's made, 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:51.250 it just leads to this incredible. prolific run 00:16:51.250 --> 00:16:53.809 of collaborations. Absolutely. Rodriguez immediately 00:16:53.809 --> 00:16:56.330 started casting him in roles that totally leveraged 00:16:56.330 --> 00:16:58.649 his intensity, but often with that characteristic 00:16:58.649 --> 00:17:01.990 Rodriguez wink, that sense of irony or fun. Yeah, 00:17:02.029 --> 00:17:06.009 like in From Dusk Till Dawn in 96. Yeah. And 00:17:06.009 --> 00:17:08.930 Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2003. It became 00:17:08.930 --> 00:17:11.470 this hugely successful partnership. But right 00:17:11.470 --> 00:17:14.490 before that whole Spy Kids era really launched 00:17:14.490 --> 00:17:18.799 his character into like global fame, Trejo faced 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:21.839 a really serious private health crisis, one that 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:23.859 threatened everything he'd built. Yeah, that 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:26.279 was tough. The sources mentioned that after he 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:28.339 finished filming Animal Factory back in 1999, 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:31.839 he contracted hepatitis C. Oof, that must have 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:34.039 brought back some terrifying echoes of his past, 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:36.460 you know, the drug use, the prison time. It had 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:39.160 to be a massive blow, physically and mentally. 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:41.900 And the illness hit him hard right as he was 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:44.720 starting to film Spy Kids in 2000. He said he 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:47.220 had to literally drag his ass to the set sometimes. 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:50.539 Felt pale and weak. And the critical thing here 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:52.960 was the fear of people finding out in Hollywood. 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:55.839 Exactly. Why did he keep it a secret? Fear of 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:58.839 reprisal, right? Losing work. Totally. In Hollywood, 00:17:59.019 --> 00:18:01.759 especially back then, the next job is never guaranteed. 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:05.000 Disclosing a serious illness, especially one 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:07.519 potentially stigmatized like Hep C, it could 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:10.019 just derail a career. Particularly for someone 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:12.519 like him, who had only relatively recently achieved 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:15.339 stable success. So during production, he was 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:18.440 struggling intensely, even having trouble remembering 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:20.940 lines. Yeah, because of the side effects from 00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:22.700 the prescription medication he was taking. It 00:18:22.700 --> 00:18:25.079 was debilitating. It gives you this really stark 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:28.559 contrast, doesn't it? The world sees the ultimate 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:31.059 tough guy on screen. Machete. But internally, 00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:33.700 he's fighting just to stay upright, keep his 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:36.359 diagnosis hidden. Thankfully, he battled through 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:39.059 it, fully recovered by the time the film premiered 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:42.500 in 2002. Yeah. But despite that personal struggle... 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:46.339 Spy Kids. That was the launch pad for his most 00:18:46.339 --> 00:18:49.319 iconic character ever. Isadora Machete Cortez. 00:18:49.380 --> 00:18:52.059 The one and only. And Spy Kids, released in 2001, 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:54.920 it just gave him this massive worldwide recognition. 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:58.039 Completely changed his audience profile. It really 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:00.299 did. He went from being typecast as the scary 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:02.819 convict that maybe only adults knew. To being 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:05.440 instantly recognizable and actually beloved by 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:07.259 kids all over the world. That must have been 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:10.759 profoundly surreal for a former Folsom inmate. 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:13.059 You have to imagine so. And the evolution of 00:19:13.059 --> 00:19:15.220 the machete character itself, it's such a testament 00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:18.099 to the power of self -aware branding. How sad. 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:20.059 Well, the character originally pops up in a kids 00:19:20.059 --> 00:19:23.079 film, right? Spy Kids. Then he transitions to 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:25.559 that fictional trailer included in Rodriguez's 00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:28.500 big homage to exploitation films, Grindhouse, 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:31.400 in 2007. Oh yeah, that trailer became legendary. 00:19:31.500 --> 00:19:33.660 It totally leveraged his intimidating persona, 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:36.839 but for humor and over -the -top action. It gained 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.759 such a cult following. Just from the trailer 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.480 that people were demanding a full movie. So that 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.779 led to Machete in 2010. Yep. Which the sources 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:49.380 cite as his first major film role where he actually 00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:51.380 played the title lead character. Finally the 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:54.470 star. It solidified him as this legitimate. Maybe 00:19:54.470 --> 00:19:56.710 unconventional, but still legitimate action star. 00:19:57.309 --> 00:19:59.130 Followed up by the sequel, Machete Kills, in 00:19:59.130 --> 00:20:01.509 2013. He finally broke out of just being the 00:20:01.509 --> 00:20:03.650 supporting criminal role. But even with that 00:20:03.650 --> 00:20:07.490 worldwide fame, lead roles, the emotional scars 00:20:07.490 --> 00:20:09.690 from his past, they seem to stay pretty raw. 00:20:09.809 --> 00:20:11.490 There's that quote where he reflected on his 00:20:11.490 --> 00:20:13.890 success. Yeah, it's powerful. He admitted, I'm 00:20:13.890 --> 00:20:15.250 still scared that somebody's going to wake me 00:20:15.250 --> 00:20:17.069 up and say, hey, we're still in prison. Let's 00:20:17.069 --> 00:20:19.500 go to chow. Wow. That just underscores how his 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:21.539 success is constantly viewed through this lens 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:24.279 of potential loss. Absolutely. The trauma of 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:27.460 incarceration runs so deep that all the comforts 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:30.500 of Hollywood, the fame, it feels temporary, like 00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:32.720 a dream he could wake up from any second. Yet 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:35.400 that work ethic never stopped. He kept expanding 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:39.039 his brand, taking lead roles like Frank Vega, 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:41.640 the Vietnam vet in the Badass film series. Right, 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:44.859 starting in 2012, based on that viral epic beard 00:20:44.859 --> 00:20:47.039 man internet thing with Thomas Brousseau. And 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.180 he moved into producing, too. Yeah, films like 00:20:49.180 --> 00:20:52.640 Ambition and Badasses in 2014, taking more control 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:55.279 of his own narrative, his projects. And he maintains 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:57.859 this remarkable currency in popular culture even 00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:00.200 now. Like appearing in huge franchises, the Book 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:02.710 of Boba Fett recently. The Ranker Keeper. Yeah. 00:21:02.950 --> 00:21:06.430 Iconic. And just this year, 2024, voicing the 00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:08.990 Hawaiian mob boss Dwight Mendez in the video 00:21:08.990 --> 00:21:12.950 game Like a Dragon. Infinite wealth. He is arguably 00:21:12.950 --> 00:21:15.470 more active now than ever before. It's incredible. 00:21:15.589 --> 00:21:17.289 Looking at his filmography, I mean, the sheer 00:21:17.289 --> 00:21:20.569 volume is just staggering. Over 250 film and 00:21:20.569 --> 00:21:23.589 TV roles. Maybe more now. It's insane. But his 00:21:23.589 --> 00:21:26.190 presence has saturated media way beyond live 00:21:26.190 --> 00:21:28.869 action stuff. Especially in voice acting and 00:21:28.869 --> 00:21:31.390 gaming. Oh, yeah. His voice. Yeah. It has that 00:21:31.390 --> 00:21:34.470 recognizable gravity, that authority. It translates 00:21:34.470 --> 00:21:37.289 perfectly to animation and games. And often playing 00:21:37.289 --> 00:21:39.809 characters who are tough but maybe secretly have 00:21:39.809 --> 00:21:43.329 a soft heart or are heroic, kind of mirroring 00:21:43.329 --> 00:21:46.730 that machete persona. Exactly. He was Mr. Jaguar 00:21:46.730 --> 00:21:48.930 in that amazing Pickle Rick episode of Rick and 00:21:48.930 --> 00:21:51.349 Morty. Classic. Vosquez, the protective bodyguard 00:21:51.349 --> 00:21:54.470 in Disney's Big City Greens. Roles in big animated 00:21:54.470 --> 00:21:57.849 movies like Storks. Minions. The Rise of Gru. 00:21:58.109 --> 00:22:00.150 And he's a defining voice in the gaming world, 00:22:00.170 --> 00:22:03.009 too. Umberto Robina in Grand Theft Auto. Vice 00:22:03.009 --> 00:22:06.269 City and Vice City Stories. Huge roles. Leveraging 00:22:06.269 --> 00:22:08.390 that gangster persona, but reaching this massive 00:22:08.390 --> 00:22:10.509 audience of gamers. And not just criminal types, 00:22:10.650 --> 00:22:12.829 right? He voiced Raul Alfonso Tejada, the ghoul 00:22:12.829 --> 00:22:16.230 character in Fallout. New Vegas. Yeah, a really 00:22:16.230 --> 00:22:18.049 memorable character in 2010. Plus, he's shown 00:22:18.049 --> 00:22:20.509 up as himself, or as a character based on him, 00:22:20.549 --> 00:22:23.609 in other huge titles. Def Jam. Fight for NY. 00:22:23.829 --> 00:22:26.880 Call of Duty. Black Ops, even DLC for Far Cry 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:30.019 6. His voice just ensures that Danny Trejo is 00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:32.660 woven into the very fabric of interactive entertainment. 00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:35.519 Pretty much. But what's truly amazing, I think, 00:22:35.539 --> 00:22:38.059 is his pivot into entrepreneurship. This feels 00:22:38.059 --> 00:22:40.599 like the ultimate subversion of that bad guy 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:43.420 image. He didn't just slap his name on a restaurant. 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:46.200 He built a genuinely successful, distinctive 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:49.420 culinary empire in L .A. Kicking off in 2016, 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:51.839 yeah. This is where that self -aware branding 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:55.019 really shines. It all started with Trejo's Tacos 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:57.980 on La Brea Avenue. And it grew fast. Really fast. 00:22:58.460 --> 00:23:00.660 Expanded the brand to include Trejo's Cantina, 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:03.460 Trejo's Coffee, and Donuts. Reports said eight 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:06.680 locations by 2020. And this whole venture, it... 00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:09.160 feels really rooted in his commitment to the 00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:11.579 L .A. community, reflecting this accessible, 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:14.099 authentic version of his persona. And these places 00:23:14.099 --> 00:23:15.980 aren't just celebrity vanity projects, are they? 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:17.819 The food's actually good. Legitimately good. 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:20.599 The sources highlight that his rainbow cauliflower 00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:23.380 tacos, for instance, made the Los Angeles Times' 00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:25.839 list of their 10 favorite recipes back in 2017. 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:28.319 Cauliflower tacos. Yeah. That says something 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:31.079 about dedication to quality and maybe a surprisingly 00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:33.519 healthy approach to Mexican food sometimes. It's 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:35.660 fascinating because you look at the Trejo's Tacos 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:39.049 brand. His face is everywhere. The tough tattooed 00:23:39.049 --> 00:23:42.430 scarred image. Right. But the food itself, including 00:23:42.430 --> 00:23:45.069 vegan and vegetarian options, it's welcoming. 00:23:45.230 --> 00:23:48.269 It reflects this commitment to maybe a healthier 00:23:48.269 --> 00:23:52.180 lifestyle. It's a total contrast to the violence 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:54.640 tied to his film roles. And his business philosophy 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:57.559 often reflects his counseling values, too. He 00:23:57.559 --> 00:24:00.140 actively hires ex -convicts. Giving people second 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:02.720 chances. Providing opportunities for others to 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:04.900 achieve the kind of redemption he found. Plus, 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:06.940 they've expanded beyond L .A. now, I think Detroit 00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:09.980 and London. Wow. OK, so the food naturally led 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:12.079 to books about it. Yeah, the cookbook, Trejo's 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:14.930 Tacos. Recipes and Stories from L .A. came out 00:24:14.930 --> 00:24:17.569 in 2020. And even before that, he contributed 00:24:17.569 --> 00:24:20.869 to that compilation, Prison Ramen. Recipes and 00:24:20.869 --> 00:24:23.609 Stories from Behind Bars. Those food books kind 00:24:23.609 --> 00:24:25.829 of act as bridges, don't they? Between his criminal 00:24:25.829 --> 00:24:28.289 past and his successful present. Nicely put. 00:24:28.529 --> 00:24:31.069 But the definitive narrative, the one where he 00:24:31.069 --> 00:24:33.710 really took full ownership of his whole story, 00:24:33.869 --> 00:24:37.480 that was his memoir. Trejo. My Life of Crime 00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:41.099 Redemption in Hollywood 2021, co -written with 00:24:41.099 --> 00:24:43.319 Donald Logue. His longtime friend, yeah. And 00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:45.519 that book debuted at number four on the New York 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:48.819 Times nonfiction bestseller list. It's huge validation, 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:51.759 right? Shows the public's real desire to understand 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:54.480 the man behind the famous face. And he has this 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:57.339 massive media footprint that constantly plays 00:24:57.339 --> 00:25:01.059 on that tension, the scary image versus the reality. 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:03.339 The perfect example has to be the Snickers commercial. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:05.759 Oh, the Super Bowl commercial. Where he played 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:08.579 Marcia Brady. Hilariously. A very angry Marcia 00:25:08.579 --> 00:25:11.319 Brady. That commercial is iconic because it uses 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:14.079 the weight, the gravitas of his persona purely 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:16.599 for laughs. It shows he's totally in on the joke. 00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:18.960 He embraces the contrast. And he uses that strong 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:21.619 image to support other artists, too. Music videos. 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:24.099 Yeah, for totally diverse artists. Heavy metal 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:26.660 like Slayer. Repentless. Pride and Prejudice. 00:25:26.819 --> 00:25:30.230 Hip -hop acts like Mobb Deep, Kid Frost. Even 00:25:30.230 --> 00:25:33.069 contemporary pop like Rosalia. He just maintains 00:25:33.069 --> 00:25:35.730 credibility across all these different, sometimes 00:25:35.730 --> 00:25:38.730 conflicting, cultural spheres. It's amazing. 00:25:39.009 --> 00:25:40.549 Okay, shifting into his personal life a bit. 00:25:40.690 --> 00:25:43.009 The sources summarize his relationships married 00:25:43.009 --> 00:25:46.250 and divorced four times. Yeah, to Laura, Debbie 00:25:46.250 --> 00:25:49.349 Scheibeck, Joanne Discoe, and Debbie Shreve. 00:25:49.650 --> 00:25:52.269 And he has three children. Danny Jr., born 81, 00:25:52.609 --> 00:25:56.029 Gilbert, born 88, and Danielle, born 90. And 00:25:56.029 --> 00:25:58.190 his reflection on those past relationships, it's 00:25:58.190 --> 00:26:00.980 really insightful. speaks to that humility may 00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:03.559 be required by the 12 -step program he committed 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:06.220 to. Absolutely. He said, quote, I've tried to 00:26:06.220 --> 00:26:07.740 make amends with the women I've been involved 00:26:07.740 --> 00:26:10.380 with simply because it wasn't their fault I was 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:12.920 broken. That's taking real responsibility. Yeah, 00:26:13.019 --> 00:26:15.900 acknowledging that his past, the unresolved trauma, 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:18.000 the addiction, the intense focus on just survival, 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:21.700 it made sustained, stable relationships really 00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:24.019 challenging until he'd done the work to heal 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:26.720 himself. That willingness is profound. And his 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:28.779 distinctive look, the one Hollywood capitalized 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:31.640 on, it also has a backstory rooted in that harsh 00:26:31.640 --> 00:26:33.859 youth, right? Yeah, definitely. That heavily 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:36.880 lined face, it's scarred not just by time, but 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:39.700 specifically from severe cystic acne when he 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:42.579 was younger. And just the physical toll of all 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:45.519 those prison boxing brawls. Right. And then, 00:26:45.539 --> 00:26:47.440 of course, the visual anchor, the thing you see 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:49.839 in almost every role, that huge chest tattoo. 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:52.819 The chara wearing a sombrero. Yeah. It's iconic. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.880 The chara often symbolizes strength, horsemanship, 00:26:56.119 --> 00:26:59.279 traditional Mexican identity. It ties his physical 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:02.220 look directly to his cultural roots and that 00:27:02.220 --> 00:27:04.950 whole persona of. The tough survivor. And beyond 00:27:04.950 --> 00:27:07.069 the tough guy image, he's apparently a huge sports 00:27:07.069 --> 00:27:09.589 fan. Very passionate. Oh, yeah. Total L .A. guy. 00:27:09.690 --> 00:27:12.269 Lakers, Dodgers, Kings, and Rams. Yeah. That's 00:27:12.269 --> 00:27:14.150 a point of pride for him. He even jokes about 00:27:14.150 --> 00:27:15.890 how he used to sneak through security fences 00:27:15.890 --> 00:27:18.210 at the L .A. Coliseum to watch Rams games back 00:27:18.210 --> 00:27:20.690 in the day. Huh? Connecting fandom now to his 00:27:20.690 --> 00:27:23.410 youthful, rule -breaking days. Yeah, exactly. 00:27:23.650 --> 00:27:25.970 But the real core, the immovable center of his 00:27:25.970 --> 00:27:28.750 legacy, it has to be his community service. His 00:27:28.750 --> 00:27:30.970 philosophy of contribution. We have to keep coming 00:27:30.970 --> 00:27:33.220 back to this. He has been a consistent... active 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:36.140 substance abuse counselor since 1973. Way before 00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:39.359 acting, over a decade before Runaway Train. This 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:41.619 is the real foundation of a man, the bedrock 00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:45.700 of his stability. And the sources share this 00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:48.099 really moving story about his mentorship of a 00:27:48.099 --> 00:27:50.160 guy named Mario Castillo. Tell us about that. 00:27:50.680 --> 00:27:52.480 Well, Trejo met Castillo while they were both 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:55.740 locked up. And Trejo, recognizing the destructive 00:27:55.740 --> 00:27:58.160 path Castillo was on, helped guide him towards 00:27:58.160 --> 00:28:01.980 sobriety inside. And it stuck. Yeah. After Castillo 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:05.000 got out, They kept their bond. Castillo successfully 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:08.740 overcame his addiction. But the mentorship didn't 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:11.359 stop there. Now they actually speak together. 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:15.119 Regularly. Where? At juvenile detention centers, 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:17.829 recovery centers all over California. turning 00:28:17.829 --> 00:28:20.190 their shared history into this powerful message 00:28:20.190 --> 00:28:22.829 of hope and real possibility for other people 00:28:22.829 --> 00:28:25.289 struggling. That practical boots -on -the -ground 00:28:25.289 --> 00:28:27.670 counseling work just never stopped for him, even 00:28:27.670 --> 00:28:29.609 when he was making huge movies running restaurants. 00:28:29.670 --> 00:28:31.750 Never stopped. And it all culminated in that 00:28:31.750 --> 00:28:33.990 incredibly high -profile moment back in 2019, 00:28:34.289 --> 00:28:36.490 the one that perfectly captured his philosophy 00:28:36.490 --> 00:28:38.829 in action. You mean the car crash incident? Yeah, 00:28:38.869 --> 00:28:42.029 in Sylmar. He witnessed this violent crash. Two 00:28:42.029 --> 00:28:44.710 cars collided, one SUV flipped onto its roof. 00:28:44.930 --> 00:28:47.160 And he didn't hesitate. didn't wait for emergency 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:50.619 services, just immediately ran towards the overturned 00:28:50.619 --> 00:28:52.900 vehicle and helped pull a five -year -old child 00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:54.660 out of the wreckage. The kid was strapped in 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:57.960 a car seat. He was literally a hero in the purest 00:28:57.960 --> 00:29:00.960 sense, just showing this innate, immediate reaction 00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:04.119 to help someone in danger so far removed from 00:29:04.119 --> 00:29:05.900 the scripted violence of his movies. Totally. 00:29:05.980 --> 00:29:08.480 And his quote about that incident, it's the ultimate 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:11.220 distillation of his whole life philosophy. It 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:13.400 ties his redemption directly to his consistent 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:16.740 practice of service. He said, Everything good 00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:18.359 that has happened to me has happened as a direct 00:29:18.359 --> 00:29:21.319 result of helping someone else. Everything. Wow. 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:24.079 Everything. He sees his health, his fame, his 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:26.859 fortune. Not as rewards for his talent or his 00:29:26.859 --> 00:29:29.299 toughness, but as direct consequences of his 00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:32.680 choice to contribute to help others. Hashtag 00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:35.190 tag outro. So this deep dive into Danny Trejo, 00:29:35.269 --> 00:29:37.970 it's really showcased this extraordinary, almost 00:29:37.970 --> 00:29:40.309 unbelievable arc, hasn't it? From being locked 00:29:40.309 --> 00:29:43.690 up, facing the death penalty in solitary in Soledad. 00:29:43.690 --> 00:29:45.589 Becoming one of the most prolific, instantly 00:29:45.589 --> 00:29:47.890 recognizable actors in Hollywood history. All 00:29:47.890 --> 00:29:50.910 while building this multimedia brand rooted in, 00:29:50.990 --> 00:29:54.970 well, authenticity and redemption. His life is 00:29:54.970 --> 00:29:57.750 just a masterclass in narrative control when 00:29:57.750 --> 00:30:00.569 you think about it. The film industry tried and 00:30:00.569 --> 00:30:03.950 still tries to perpetually typecast him as just 00:30:03.950 --> 00:30:06.829 the disposable bad guy. You know, the violent, 00:30:06.950 --> 00:30:10.190 scarred image of Michetti. Right. But his true 00:30:10.190 --> 00:30:12.829 self -written narrative, it's completely different. 00:30:13.089 --> 00:30:15.730 Counselor, author, culinary entrepreneur, mentor. 00:30:16.799 --> 00:30:19.500 dedicated public servant. He absolutely embraced 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:22.480 a typecast for his career success. But he never, 00:30:22.519 --> 00:30:25.200 ever abandoned that core counseling role, the 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.200 role that defined his sobriety, his integrity, 00:30:27.319 --> 00:30:29.359 the role that actually got him onto that first 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:32.440 film set. Exactly. So what does this all mean 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:35.200 for you, the listener, thinking about this? We 00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:37.240 see this constant tension, right, between the 00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:39.819 terrifying image of the violent anti -hero machete. 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:41.940 And the underlying reality of this life built 00:30:41.940 --> 00:30:46.119 on faith. So the provocative thought maybe to 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:48.559 take away is this. Danny Trejo achieved incredible 00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:51.519 professional success by, in a way, monetizing 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:54.480 the cinematic consequence of his past. That image. 00:30:54.759 --> 00:30:56.799 But he achieved genuine personal fulfillment, 00:30:57.019 --> 00:30:59.940 the stuff that clearly sustains him, by consistently 00:30:59.940 --> 00:31:03.160 choosing contribution over consequence. His career 00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:05.519 was built on the physical scar, you know. But 00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:07.779 his soul seems to have been rebuilt back in solitary, 00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:10.039 dedicated to helping other people find their 00:31:10.039 --> 00:31:12.660 own way out. It's a profound lesson, isn't it, 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:14.880 about how owning your past but actively choosing 00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:17.299 your purpose can redefine even the most seemingly 00:31:17.299 --> 00:31:19.920 fixed destiny. That feels like a good place to 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:20.759 wrap this deep dive.