Danny Trejo, who you’ll likely know from his roles in over 200 films, often playing tough guys and criminals and sometimes showing up in family-oriented fare like the Spy Kids films and last year’s Zootopia 2, has recently come under fire for starring in Pawn Shop, an upcoming film from conservative pundit and failed screenwriter Ben Shapiro’s media company, The Daily Wire. The film, which essentially sounds like pro-ICE propaganda, has naturally brought a lot of criticism down on Trejo for his involvement, as the actor is not only of Mexican descent, but also a vocal Democrat. Last week, Trejo put out a statement on his Instagram account, stating that fans should “make no mistake,” that he is a “proud Mexican who has always been and will always be a supporter of [his] community,” and saying that he is pro-immigrant and not pro-ICE. So what happened? According to Trejo’s son Gilbert, the actor was misled about the project going in, and only found out about Shapiro’s involvement after he’d already signed on.
In his own private Instagram story (thanks Deadline), Gilbert Trejo claims that his father was told by his agent that Pawn Shop was “a complicated story about a complicated time, where everyone looks bad except you, the hardworking Mexican shop owner who just wants peace.” Gilbert goes on to claim that Shapiro’s involvement wasn’t clear to Trejo and his family until “about two weeks into shooting,” and the actor had never heard of the pundit or his hateful rhetoric. The actor’s son says that because of his contract, Trejo cannot speak out against Shapiro and the film, or walk away from it, without suffering legal consequences.
“It’s fucked up,” he wrote. “He’s handcuffed to this stupid project, and swaths of people have instantly turned their backs on him without knowing any of the facts. Ben Shapiro got Mexicans to abandon one of their heroes, got his own name on to the top of Google’s searches, and made us look like angry fools lacking any nuance. He wins.”
Trejo has had a storied film and television career, but he’s also made appearances in several games, including Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. He even plays himself in several games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Far Cry 6.