Why Danny Trejo ‘Thanks God Every Day’

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The change to leading man has done little to feed Trejo’s ego. He’s one of the few actors about whom people have nothing bad to say. It’s likely because he brings the same strong work ethic to every project he does.

“No matter what, if you want to be an actor, you bring the A-game every day even if you’re an extra,” he said. Being a leading man “just means you’re first on the call sheet.”

Trejo added it’s important for him not to let any of it go to his head. “You’re not treating people any differently. I’m still going to bring everybody water because it’s hot.”

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He’s now more than just a lead actor in movies, too. He’s a brand. Trejo’s name has been used to sell “Man at Arms,” as well as to sell tacos and donuts at Hollywood food spots the actor has recently opened. He said the inspiration for the restaurants came from his mom.

“My mom was an unbelievable cook,” he said. “We always talked about opening up a restaurant, but my dad was kind of a Mexican Archie Bunker, so every time we talked about a restaurant he’d say, ‘I got a kitchen right there. Cook something up.'”

It was on the set of a movie that one of Trejo’s producers presented him with a business plan for Trejo’s Tacos. From there, the actor expanded to Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts — which is famous around LA for its nacho donut.

“It’s delicious,” said Trejo, who often visits the restaurants himself and samples the food. He also particularly likes the pina fritter donut. “If you eat three in a row, three days straight, you’ll be on the corner begging for quarters to get more,” he said, laughing.

It’s truly a remarkable story Trejo has — and he shares a jubilant spirit with others. He turned a life that was “going nowhere” into the life of an entrepreneur, a versatile artist, and an inspiration to the young men and women he continues to mentor and counsel.

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It’s a life that the young-at-heart Trejo intends to keep pushing full steam ahead. He’s excited about “Man at Arms” and some of the weapons future episodes will be showing viewers, such as the samurai sword. “They way they did it was so unbelievable,” he said.

He’ll also soon be starring in a movie for his son Gilbert, as well as in “Social Security,” which he described as “‘Die Hard’ in a senior citizen home.”

Related: Remembering Louis Zamperini

And he’s still adamant about getting a third “Machete” movie made by Robert Rodriguez, since it’s his most famous character and the franchise to which he feels the closest. Trejo said he gets asked about the third movie constantly on the street; recently, a man dressed as a minion from the “Despicable Me” franchise asked him this.

“We’re literally threatening Robert Rodriguez,” Trejo said and then laughed, just in case anyone thought he was serious.

“Man at Arms” airs tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on El Rey Network.[lz_pagination]