anthony: but can you trace your people back to what area in mexico? danny: monterrey. my grandmother s grandfather was born in monterrey. anthony: can you speak spanish at home? danny: yeah, we spoke. i spoke spanish until i was about nine, ten and then usually you stop speaking spanish when you go to grammar school. especially in the 50s, because they wouldn t let you. no, no you don t speak spanish, you know, so you kind of forget. anthony: right. danny: but then when you start going to juvenile hall and jail, you pick it up again so the guards don t know what you re talking about. anthony: did you get into a 12-step in when you were still in prison or after? danny: while i was in prison. it was 1968. cinco de mayo 1968, that was where i just kind of, like, made a vow, like, i m done. anthony: when you get out, you became a drug counselor. danny: i dedicated my life to helping other people. everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct resu
i mean, you have to have a messianic figure. anthony: i have the answer. who? anthony: danny trejo. gustavo: danny trejo. people love him. anthony: danny trejo would be the man. he d be that guy. gustavo: machete. al madrigal: machete for president? anthony: i would totally vote for him. al madrigal: he s ancient. anthony: he looks good with his shirt off. donald trump can t say that, clinton can t say that. danny trejo still peeling that shirt off. anthony: he s the baddest dude in the history of badass. look up badass in the dictionary, it says trejo, danny trejo. born in echo park in l.a, he spent much of his life in prison, including a stay in san quentin where he managed to straighten shit out join a 12-step program and rethink his life. he came out of the joint as a drug counselor. this lead directly, if unexpectedly, to a storied career in film.
born in echo park in l.a, he spent much of his life in prison, including a stay in san quentin where he managed to straighten shit out join a 12-step program and rethink his life. he came out of the joint as a drug counselor. this lead directly, if unexpectedly, to a storied career in film. danny trejo is known and loved for iconic tough guy roles in such films as heat , from dusk till dawn , and once upon a time in mexico. but he finally rose to action hero, leading-man status he always deserved playing machete. a character who grew out of the fake trailer from the robert rodriguez, quinten tarentino film grindhouse , which soon became its own awesome and gore-heavy franchise. if you haven t seen machete, it s follow-up, machete kills , or soon-to-be-released machete
where i just kind of, like, made a vow, like, i m done. anthony: when you get out, you became a drug counselor. danny: i dedicated my life to helping other people. everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else. everything. anthony: well, for example, you were called to a film set to counsel somebody and you bump into, of all the people in the world, edward bunker. danny: eddie bunker. anthony: he s a legendary ex-con turned writer, and i guess screenwriter as well. danny: i knew eddie in prison, you see, so when he saw me, what re you doing here? i said, i m working with this kid. he asked me, are you still boxing? because i held a lightweight and welterweight champion in every joint. i said, i m training. i still train, but i don t get hit in the face anymore. and he said, we need somebody to train one of the actors how to box. anthony: the movie was the awesome runaway train. trejo trained and fought agains
were born in texas. danny: yeah. anthony: but can you trace your people back to what area in mexico? danny: monterrey. my grandmother, grandfather was born in monterrey. anthony: can you speak spanish at home? danny: yeah, we spoke. i spoke spanish until i was about nine, ten and then usually you stop speaking spanish when you go to grammar school. especially in the 50s, because they wouldn t let you. no, no you don t speak spanish, you know, so you kind of forget. anthony: right. danny: but then when you start going to juvenile hall and jail, you pick it up again so the guards don t know what you re talking about. anthony: did you get into a 12-step in when you were still in prison or after? danny: while i was in prison. it was 1968. cinco de mayo 1968, that was where i just kind of, like, made a vow, like, i m done. anthony: when you get out, you became a drug counselor. danny: i dedicated my life to helping other people. everything good that has happened t