Danny Trejo has been linked to the world of acting and film production for almost forty years since he appeared in 'Runaway Train' in 1985.
At age 8, Danny smoked his first joint; At 12, he didn't think about toys but about heroin; and at 16, several armed robberies led him to prison, where he miraculously ended up becoming a film actor.
When in the 1960s, the Los Angeles police worked hard to arrest Danny Trejo (1944), none of the agents could imagine that the face of this son of Mexican workers would end up printed on the movie posters that wallpaper the streets. streets in which he then commits crimes.
Trejo, 77, has been linked to the world of acting and film production for almost four decades since he appeared in Andrey Konchalovskiy's Runaway Train in 1985, and his self-confidence and prison past opened the doors for him to play the role he could best play. do: that of a convict.
Then came appearances in dozens of action films such as Desperado, the From Dusk Till Dawn trilogy, Six Days Seven Nights, Spy Kids or Machete, and in recognized series such as Breaking Bad or Sons of Anarchy.
Concerned about social problems
Beyond his success, Trejo remains concerned about the social problems of people who live in suburbs like the one where he grew up, and he says that after the pandemic he pays special attention to mental health.
"Some homeless people don't even know they are homeless. In the United States there is a problem with mental health, governments have let these people end up on the streets and there is nothing to protect them," he explains while making a fuss and climbing up. tone of voice.
Since he definitively left prison in the eighties, Trejo has been involved with people at risk or socially excluded through reorientation, reintegration and drug detoxification programs, especially with the youngest.
The actor does not believe that the situation is worse now than when he was wandering the streets of Los Angeles thinking about the next purse grab to pay for his heroin dose, although "there are phones to film it" and, according to him, this seems to aggravate the situation. reality in the eyes of society.
"There is a problem with crime, due to lack of work and gangs, mixed with the issue of mental health," Trejo remarks in Spanglish to then emphasize that President Joe Biden's Administration is doing "what it can." after receiving "a huge backpack of corruption" from the government of his predecessor Donald Trump.
Get out of the spiral of violence
In 2019, he released the documentary Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo, in which he narrated his rehabilitation process, how he managed to get out of the spiral of violence and the hole of drugs, and even highlighted the deplorable conditions of the inmates in US prisons.
For him, the key is to educate children not to try alcohol or drugs, because it all starts with "it's just a beer or it's just a joint" and you end up becoming "someone you really are not."
Trejo, whose torso has been seen exposed in many films and is guarded by the enormous tattoo of a cowgirl with a Mexican hat, likes to specifically address those who come from Mexico.
"The United States is the land of freedom and we have room for everyone, including immigrants who are on the other side of the border," he says, while smoothing his particular mustache, which traces a perfect half circle on his upper lip. .
Projects on the horizon
Trejo works in multiple fields: his book My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood has become a best-seller and is in its second edition; the taqueria chain that bears his name opened its fourth franchise; and he has been "happy" acting under the direction of his son, Gilbert Trejo, and his second cousin, Robert Rodriguez.
In fact, today he premieres the film Green Ghost, a comic and action-packed adventure in which he plays Master Gin, a character who will teach the antihero Charlie, who has been entrusted with saving the world and going from "gringo" to fight. " to "Green Ghost."
About to turn 78, Trejo exudes vitality and desire to continue working, still happy about his change of direction four decades ago and grateful for being "living more since he was 16."
