Decked out head to toe in a tan suit and matching hat, Danny Trejo entered into a classroom full of USC students one Monday evening.
Sitting down next to professor Mary Murphy, the conversation began starting with what most in attendance did not know which was Trejo’s origin story.
According to him, he has been in more than 350 movies and tv series including “Spy Kids” and “Machete.” He has had a long career in Hollywood, but Hollywood is not where his story starts.
Trejo began talking about his early life and gave the class some advice every student has mostly heard before: graduate from high school.
“Every teacher that I ever had said if you don’t get a high school diploma you will never amount to anything. Trejo said. “ If you don’t get a high school diploma you won’t ever get a good job.”
While at San Quentin State Prison, the “Anaconda” actor applied to work for dry cleaning businesses based on suggestions from his friends and the pay he would make. He was rejected because he did not have his high school diploma.
“The [requirements] came back you must have a high school diploma for this trade,” Trejo said. “I could hear every teacher {in my ear} we told you dummy. It was like wait a minute they were not lying. Education is key to whatever you want to do . That is the way it is.”
Trejo spend most of his life in and out of prison for armed robbery and drug offenses. The last time he was in prison was 1972.
Trejo was headed down the wrong path from an early age. Smoking “grass at age 11” was a common thing for him. He started going to juvenile hall at age 11 and 12 and went so often that he “ thought Mexicans were supposed to go.”
The life of working a 9-5 was not alluring to Trejo, but his uncle Gilbert’s style stood out compared to seeing others coming home tired and sweating from a long day of work.
Although he had relatives who were on the “right” path in life, he was drawn to the alternative.
“[For] some of us our role model pickers are broken,” Trejo said. “I had a couple of uncles that actually went to college...but Gilbert my uncle, he always had a lot of money.”
Thanks to the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program, Trejo said he has been able to stay clean from drugs and alcohol. He has been sober for 42 years. Trejo was introduced to AA when he was 15 but initially thought it was a party.
He also believes the worst thing to happen to people that are afflicted with the disease of alcoholism is making weed legal. When speaking to former incarcerated drug addicts, he was upset with excitement when he told them about the legalization of weed in California.
“Insanity is doing the same thing expecting different results. All of you started smoking weed and where did you end up? Have you learned how to control? Once you get on that train it’s hard to get off. Alcohol will put you in that situation.”
Out of prison for 17 years, Trejo worked as a drug counselor—which he still does — before he worked in Hollywood.
Trejo’s career began with the movie “Runaway Train” but movies like “Spy Kids,” “Machete” and “The Book of Life” are what millennials recognize him for.
Trejo recalls a young girl coming up to him yelling “YOU’RE BOOTSSSS!” He recently was the voice of Boots in the live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon's television series Dora the Explorer.
Throughout his long career Trejo has managed to stay humble.
“A lot of people in Hollywood are full of shit,” he said. “Every day you have to understand that this is my job. As long as you keep that in mind, you are not full of shit. Their support system are the same little shit heads.”
Trejo is popular at USC because of the food restaurant and truck “ Trejos Tacos,” which all started because of his love of good food.