Danny Trejo says he gets bored on big-budget movie sets and much prefers working on indie films.
Veteran actor Danny Trejo couldn’t be more proud to be called the “king of independent movies.” Though he got started with his acting career a bit later than most of his contemporaries, with his first movie role coming when he was in his 40s,
Trejo has become one of Hollywood’s hardest-working actors. He has appeared in dozens upon dozens of movies, and while that sometimes includes roles in big-budget features, Trejo most often has roles in indie movies, and this is exactly how the actor likes it.
Trejo then explained why he frequently appears in indie films, much preferring them over the projects he’s been a part of with a much bigger budget. Simply put, indie movies are much more fun while working in big studio films literally remind him of his time in prison.
“I think I’m the king of independent movies, and I love it! I like doing them. I did a movie with Harrison Ford, called Six Days, Seven Nights, in Hawaii. It was like three months in Hawaii. I probably worked 15 or 16 days out of it. I get bored. On really high-budget movies, sometimes you’re just sitting in your trailer. I can’t stand being in trailers: It reminds me of a prison cell.”
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Danny Trejo Pops Up Everywhere
Trejo has more than 433 screen credits, and don’t expect to see the numbers slow down anytime soon with the prolific actor still going strong.
He recently had a chat with us at MovieWeb about one of his newest releases, the action-comedy movie Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone. Trejo explained how he took the job because he was entertained by the script, another perk that comes with working with creative indie filmmakers. As Trejo told us:
“I got the script and thought it was funny. I’ve worked with the cast before, Marko (Zaror) is a good friend — he makes the stuff in The Matrix look like kids play — and it was a fun movie. And I love when at the end, I’m the hero.”
There’s no telling where else you’ll see Trejo pop up next. Recently, Trejo could also be seen in movies like The Legend of La Llorona, Good Mourning, and Clerks III. He also had a voiceover role in the recent animated sequel Minions: The Rise of Gru. Trejo also popped up in the Star Wars universe with a role in The book of Boba Fett and served as a guest judge for Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.
You’re definitely someone who paid his dues in this business, climbing up the ranks from extra to top of the call sheet.
I remember when I first got on the call sheet. I didn’t even have a name. It was just: “tattooed guy.”
When did you know that acting was going to be a real job?
It was on the set of [1985’s] Runaway Train. I met a friend, [screenwriter] Eddie Bunker, who was a friend of mine in prison. He remembered I was the welter- weight champion in San Quentin. He said, “Danny, are you still boxing? We need somebody to train one of the actors [Eric Roberts] how to box. It pays $320 a day.”
I was working as a drug counsellor, making maybe $190, $220 a week before taxes. So I asked: “How badly you want this guy beat up?” From that moment on, my entire life changed. For the first years of my career, I was “bad guy,” “mean guy,” “Chicano dude,” “tattoo guy.” But I always made my $320 a day.
Did you feel typecast?
I think I’m the king of independent movies, and I love it! I like doing them. I did a movie with Harrison Ford, called Six Days, Seven Nights, in Hawaii. It was like three months in Hawaii. I probably worked 15 or 16 days out of it.
I get bored. On really high-budget movies, sometimes you’re just sit- ting in your trailer. I can’t stand being in trailers: It reminds me of a prison cell.
Who was the first person to see you as more than just the “scary Chicano with tattoos”?
Robert Rodriguez. We did a movie called Desperado. It was in Mexico. And nobody at the time really knew who [the film’s star] Antonio Banderas was. I was on set and everyone was asking me for autographs and taking pictures. Robert says: “Hey Danny, everybody thinks you’re the star of this movie.”
How did that franchise change things for you?
I knew things had changed after we finished Machete. It was Halloween and I opened the door and there’d be little kids there, Mexican kids, dressed like Machete, with little fake mus- taches and everything. It wasn’t Batman or Superman, they were playing this Mexican guy. It brought tears to my eyes.
