Tough as Trejo: Actor Danny Trejo's Bout with Addiction

Danny Trejo is one of the most recognized character actors known for roles in films such as “Desperado,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Machete,” and the sequel “Machete Kills.” But, what many may not know is that he has been in recovery for more than 54 years.

Trejo’s history with substances and encounters with law enforcement began at a very early age: When he was seven, he participated in his first drug deal, at 10, was arrested for the first time, began using substances at age eight and by 14, he was addicted to and selling heroin. He had many stints in jail throughout his adolescence, and by 22, he was a prisoner at San Quentin.

It was in 1968, while in solitary confinement, that he found faith, became a member of the prison’s 12-step program and began a life in sobriety. He was released from custody for the last time in 1969.

Trejo began his unique path to acting in 1985. He was working as a substance use counselor and his assistance was needed by someone on the set of the film “Runaway Train.” While on the set, he was recognized by the screenwriter, who served time at San Quentin with Trejo. Knowing his history and expertise in boxing, this connection led him to become the personal trainer and boxing advisor to actor Eric Roberts.

In the decades since, Trejo has appeared in more than 300 films and television shows, is the owner of eight restaurants, and is a New York Times best-selling author with his memoir, “Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption and Hollywood.” Danny Trejo joins “Addiction Talk” to speak about his inspirational 50+ year journey in recovery.

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:53):

Good evening and welcome to Addiction Talk. It is our final episode of the year, and I can't think of a better guess to have on tonight's episode than Danny Trejo when I say that name. If you don't know it, you haven't been watching movies. But let's take a look at more about his life. At 78 years old, Danny Trejo is one of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood, having starred in dozens of films in his career, including Desperado Heat From Dust Till Dawn Series, spy Kids movies, machete, granddaddy, daycare, and The Minions. But his rise to fame came after a troubled past, which included drug addiction and time behind bars. A story he shears in his memoir. Today, he is 54 years sober and counting, and has a redemption story to share. Addiction talk starts now, and I'm joined now by Danny Trejo. He's joining us from California. He told me, Danny, you were saying you just got back from filming actually in Spokane, Washington, where it was what?

Speaker 2 (02:17):

Zero Degrees. Degrees <laugh>.

Speaker 1 (02:20):

Right, right. So we're excited to have you with us tonight to share more of your story, but even as I was talking to you backstage, Danny, one thing that caught my eye or my attention right away is you talked about being an inspiration for so many people. Like people literally come up to you and tell you just based on your sobriety story, that you are changing their lives. Tell me about this recent story where this just happened while you were filming. Just days ago.

Speaker 2 (02:50):

I went on a film. I always look for God and everything, and I know he is there. And I, I went on a film, Spokane, Washington, and it's zero degrees, it's cold. And I ask, okay, God, why you got me up here? So all of a sudden I run into this one guy and he says Hey, I heard you about 10 years ago, Dan. I, I got I got eight years clean. I was blah, blah, blah. And then I fell off. I've been using drinking for two years. And I said, well, that's why God got me here. I was wondering, and that's just it. We started talking. He said, Dan, I'm going to use you for my inspiration. I said, use me wherever you want. You know what I mean? I gave him my phone number. I said, call me. He said, well, you know, if it was too late, I said, let me tell you something, Holmes. It's never too late. Man.

Speaker 1 (03:37):

That is the truth. It's never too late. That's,

Speaker 2 (03:39):

You know what, anytime you feel like drinking, just call me. You know, we'll talk and you know what? Even call me, even if it's they'll be go to hell, your program don't work, it's okay. Just call me. That's all. And just that little step, even to say something, it's like you take away the, the, the obsession to drink. You know, just like, okay. And man, I've talked to people, you know, till two o'clock, three o'clock, four o'clock in the morning, just like, how you feeling now? Yeah, I feel better. Okay,

Speaker 1 (04:06):

Let's go. Well wait, Danny, you know what's amazing to me that you're this big time actor, but yet you're giving people your personal phone number in terms of just being able to help them. Are you that committed? Is it just something you feel called to do, to be able to help people who are struggling? Cuz you think back about your own life?

Speaker 2 (04:24):

I don't know. Maybe I'm, I'm not as big as some actors, but I, yeah, I give out my number. I, you know, everybody, God, it's written on some bathroom walls, I think, I mean, I <laugh>, you know, and for help call in. But I get, you know, I get people calling me from the penitentiary and say, Hey, Dan, you know, I'm coming out. You know? Good. Okay. You know, we'll see, you know, I, I, I, right now, Mario Castile is a, my assistant and, and he was working with lifers. So right now we're both working with all the guys getting out of the pen that, that have done 30 years, 35 years. Because once you've done that, it's like your family's gone. You have nobody, you come out to nothing, you know?

Speaker 1 (05:07):

Well, I think it's huge that you're able to share, you know, your story with other people. And even, like you said, giving your phone number or whether that's connecting with the people in the penitentiary. But I think what is huge about you, Danny, and I think you are the only person that I know that has 54 years and counting of sobriety, just hearing that alone, people are like, how did you get there? Because we always hear about it being one day at a time. But how do you get to 54 years?

Speaker 2 (05:38):

How you get there one day at a time? You know what, when I came out of the pin in 1969, I had, I had pro, I had, I had, I swore to God, you know, if you, hey, if you let me die with dignity, I'll say your name every day and I'll do whatever I can for my fellow inmate. I said, inmate. Cause I thought I was never getting outta prison. And then by the, the grace of God, the parole board says, we're sick of youre, bring us back a life sentence. And I left. And you know what, my first sponsor was a guy named Frank Russo. My second sponsor was a guy named Sam Harding, Johnny Harris. I met in 1962. I was in prison. He was out of prison. He came up to talk. I met him there, and I'll, I remember I was all starched drilled and everybody else was a mess.

Speaker 2 (06:26):

You know, they wearing prison clothes, I had prison clothes, but mine were all starched and pressed, and I was a convict. And that means that you're different, you know, and you got money and they don't. And so I, it was funny, Johnny Harris, you know what, Danny, the only thing that's gonna beat you to San Quentin are the headlights on the bus. And I thought that was a compliment. You know, <laugh>, wow. He was, he was telling me, you know what, you, you, you're just, you're made for prison. And I was, I literally couldn't wait. And I just bounced all through the penal system. And in 1968, it's when I wait a minute, and I used drugs in every penitentiary in the state of California.

Speaker 1 (07:11):

Wait a minute. So even inside the penitentiary, oh, you, whoa.

Speaker 2 (07:15):

In 1968, single Mayo, I was hooked on heroin. I was drinking a riot ensued. We went to the hole. I remember Henry Kija saying, I can say his name as he passed away, killed in a robbery. But I, he said, Hey Danny, they're gonna top us. And it hit me that, wow, David, the sin is the gas chamber. And I thought, you know, it, it, it was like, wait, wait, wait. We were just playing. You know? I mean, it was like, come on guys, this is, and I remember just asking, God, let me die with dignity. If I gotta let me die with dignity. And, and I'll say your name every day and I'll do whatever I can for my fellow inmate. I said, inmate. Cause I thought I'd never get

Speaker 1 (08:01):

Out. Yeah, you thought you'd never, and that's what's so remarkable. Not only, you know, we're talking about 54 years, but how you go from prison sentence, right. You said, you know, you're in the midst of this. You can't see how anything's gonna be different. You go from prison sentence to Hollywood. Yeah. Like, how does that even happen?

Speaker 2 (08:22):

You know, when I came outta prison, I was a, everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else. I came out I was working in a wrecking yard from a, a guy named Frank Russo and Frank Cardi, the owner. And, and, and I was Frank. Me and Frank Russo were busted. We were in prison together. And he got out first and he started working and he said, Hey I'll never forget. Cause he said, Hey, I got everything ready for you now in prison terms, that means he's got a girl, a gun and some scores. He had a job. Whoa.

Speaker 1 (08:55):

So he totally surprised you. You can't come out, you're not sure what he is you're gonna do. He has a job for you. You end up landing and acting. Was that even something you even thought you were talented, gifted at something that even crossed your mind during this whole journey that you've been on?

Speaker 2 (09:12):

I worked in this wrecking yard, then me and a kid named Danny OV started a gardening business. And then we, after that, we, we I I I became a drug counselor. I was a drug counselor from 1973. I'm still a drug counselor. I worked for Western Pacific Med Corp. And I used to work for a guy named Jimmy Penia who, and Norm Splunk who ran the narcotics prevention project in Boyle Heights. And we detoxed, we detoxed drug addict. And it's funny, cuz Jimmy hired me, right? And, and I always thought that he hired me cuz I'd be a good counselor on. He says, no, Danny, they had all these dope things that were dealing out in front of the, the, the, the agency there, you know, narcotic prevention on, on, on it used to be Brooklyn Avenue. Now it's, it's changed to, to Caesar Chavez. But they had all these drug addicts dealing, he hired me cuz he knew I fought, I was lightweight. And Walter Wade champion every instance. I mean, so he hired me so I'd get rid of him. And so basically I was the muscle and I, I was chasing all the dope things away. And they, they laughed. So, and then, then I, I stayed working and I, I went to work for Dr. Dor and Mark Hickman, and I'm still working for Mark Hickman. Did they? And but, but so

Speaker 1 (10:34):

How did that lead you to Hollywood? Cause I, you, I mean, it's interesting as you're telling me just to kinda flashback

Speaker 2 (10:40):

One of the kids, no, one of the kids in 19 85, 1 of the kids that I was working with was working as a extra. And he said, Hey, we can make an extra 50 bucks. So I got in with this one agency that, that did extras. I showed up on a movie set called Runaway Train. And it's funny, I'm standing there and this guy says, Hey you wanna be in this movie? I says, what do I gotta do? He says, do you wanna be an extra? I said, extra. What? He said can you act like a convict? I thought he was, I thought he was joking. You know, I said, I said I'm saying, Quentin, solid dead fold. So ba backer reveal, choose the reveal, Sierra. I said, oh, I'll give it a shot. And and I took off my shirt and I got that big tattoo on my chest.

Speaker 2 (11:26):

And the minute I took off my shirt, this other guy, this old, I keep saying old guy hates saying that he was about 60. He came and says, Hey, you're Danny Trag. I said, you're Eddie Bunker. I knew this guy in San Quentin. He was the captain's clerk. The captain's clerk is the most powerful job that you can have in prison because you, the captain signs everything. He doesn't read nothing. He just signs it. So you can send the, the guard out to the tower if you want, you know, and and people would pay him to have a cell change or to, you know, lay whatever, you know. And so, and Eddie was a writer, you know, and he was writing what do you call it, Ritz, for people to get out. And you got a lot of people out of prison because of the Ritz Ritz have to be gr grammatically correct. You can't have any mistakes in them. And so

Speaker 1 (12:22):

He's, he became a writer. So he took that became a writer in Hollywood. Oh

Speaker 2 (12:25):

Yeah, absolutely. And he, when I ran into him on the set, he says, what are you doing here, Dan? I I'm gonna be an extra, they're gonna gimme 50 bucks. Right? Like a convict. And we laughed cuz we've both been doing that for years for free, you know, and the, and he says,

Speaker 1 (12:41):

So now they say, Hey, can you come in and play a convict? We're gonna play you 50 bucks. And it all kinda started from that moment.

Speaker 2 (12:49):

Well, you know what Eddie said, are you still boxing? I says, like, daddy, I'm 40 years old. I I don't wanna get hit in the face no more. Look at me. He said, he said, we need somebody to train one of the actors how to box. And I said, what's it pay? Because they're gonna gimme 50 bucks. He says, three 20 a day. And when he said that, I said, how bad you want this guy beat up? I thought it was a hit. I'm three 20. I wasn't making that a week. You know, I think they gimme that a day. I says, how bad you want this guy. He beat up. He goes, no, no, no, you can't hit this kid, man. He's real high strung. He's already socked some people. Danny. I said, Hey, for 320 bucks, you can give him a stick homie.

Speaker 2 (13:28):

I've been beat up for free. And I started training an actor named Eric Roberts, had a box for a movie called Runaway Train. The director saw me and, and Eric was a movie star. So movie stars are very, very entitled. And Andre Klowski was having a lot of trouble dealing with the movie stars because they're. But, but you know, and Eric would do whatever I told him to do, you know, cause he wanted to learn how to box. And Andre saw it and he says, I'll never forget. He goes, Denny cuz he was a Russian aristocrat. This was his first American movie. He says, Danny, you be in movie. You fight Eric in movie and you be my friend. Now if, if you have a prison background and somebody says, Hey, why don't you be my friend? It's, there's a wait, wait a minute. I'm not taking a shower with you punk. You know, it's like, you don't know what that means.

Speaker 1 (14:28):

You don't know what that means. But he's like, open the door for you.

Speaker 2 (14:31):

He leans over and he kisses me on both cheeks and walks. I'll never forget what I said, Eddie, I'm gonna train the kid for the three 20, but if I gotta kiss that old man, I want more money. And <laugh>, Eddie says, no, they're European, they kissed. I said, okay. So if I found out, when I found out what that old man did for me by giving me that SAG card, I'd come. So

Speaker 1 (14:53):

He gave you your first SAG card, opened the door for, you think you're gonna come in and do this boxing, and then your career just starts taking off. You thinking had acting skills.

Speaker 2 (15:05):

The first five years of my career, I played bad guy. Chicano dude, tattooed guy, armed robber, mean guy. I played all the, and it was like a, it was funny, my, the, the first half of my life was just like a character study of what I was gonna do. And every shirt, every movie I came on, a director would say, oh, take off your shirt. Cuz they all knew my tattoo. I did every prison movies from 1985 to a about 1989. Or, I mean, I did prison movies. And I, I it's so funny. I remember one director saying, Danny, where did you study? Cuz I was supposed to do this arm robbery. Where did you study? I said, Devon, Safeway you know, Piggly Wiggly, thrifties, all the, every place we robbed. And so it was like, wow. You know, I he never, you heard of those schools and I didn't wanna tell him they were markets, you know?

Speaker 1 (16:06):

Right. And you learn. But you know what, I wanna go back cuz I know we've been talking a lot about your career and how, you know, you got into the acting thing, but you talked about how your life, you know, was preparation for all of these, you know, characters that you played. So take me back to when you started having, you know, the interaction with drugs. I know you said you were young. I've read you did your first drug deal, I think at seven. You were using heroin by 12. Take me back to how we got to before this. What was life like for you?

Speaker 2 (16:37):

My, my my family was the word macho. If, if you see a macho, it's got a picture of my family. Okay. That's where it came from. I, my, my, my, my dad had five brothers and they were all just tough. Every one of them. It was all about being tough. And I can remember, I can remember that I can remember like, they, they all had looks that would like, like turn people to stone. You know? I mean, I, I would watch my dad look at somebody and watch, Hey, hey, what, what, what, you know? And I developed that, you know, and, and, and nobody ever had time. You know, it was like, I'm doing something. I can remember asking my mom, she's on the phone going, Hey mom. She goes, step two, step on the phone, stupid. And she and I asked my dad, dad, Hey, what, what? On the phone idiot talking. Now my uncle Gilbert, my uncle Gilbert was a drug addict and an armed robber. And I would say, Hey Gilbert. And he go, whoever's on the whole, he go, Hey Gilbert. He go, Hey, hold on. What do you want me on?

Speaker 1 (17:45):

Wow.

Speaker 2 (17:46):

Honest to God. And, and nothing against my parents cuz they were, were busy. They were, you know, working. They were. And what do you want me, that little thing. It's like when I talk to, to, to I, you gotta give kids time. Doesn't matter what you're doing. I know, I know parents, you got bills. I know you got card payments. I know you are striving to get a better life, but you know what, while you're striving to get a better life, your kid's being ignored.

Speaker 1 (18:13):

And so it was that uncle who was like this big drug dealer into everything that's, he gave you that attention. So was that like, to you, okay, I wanna be like him, or it kind of led you to wanna try what he was doing?

Speaker 2 (18:26):

I was eight years old and him, Jimmy Jimenez and Bobby Ortega, they were out on, on the grass. They had a big bible. And I walked out there to be with him. And I, all I remember hearing is, let's get him loaded and

Speaker 1 (18:41):

Hmm. Wait, you were eight years old.

Speaker 2 (18:43):

They were looking at this bible. Well, you know what? I know everybody says, when I say that to kids, they go Uhhuh because they know. It's like people are getting loaded at 8, 9, 10 years old. Wow. You know, because if you have somebody getting loaded in your family, they're getting their siblings loaded. It's that simple. And nobody wants to believe it. Kids, when I speak at a grammar school and I say, yeah, and I, you know, loaded when I was eight years old, couple of 'em have already know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 1 (19:10):

Wow.

Speaker 2 (19:10):

You understand? And so, so they, you know, they got me loaded and I loved it. And it's funny that I think addiction, it's, it's a, it's a, a it's a obsession of the mind coupled with an allergy of the body, you know? And, and it's like, it's like, I remember I got loaded. I was wasted, right? And then Tim Sanchez, my next door neighbor, I tried to get him loaded. He got sick, threw up and, and never got loaded again. So there's something, there's a chemical imbalance somewhere where people take drugs, keep taking them. Some people take them and never use them again. And so, so it's like, like I started using drugs. Gilbert gave me heroin when I was 12. And well, I snitch, I, I told him I'd snitch on him if he didn't. Cuz I caught him shooting drugs. And you're gonna have to understand, like my grandfather was a tyrant. My grandfather ran our family, you know, and all he had to was go and you everybody do something. And, and I can remember one time me and Gilbert were standing there I was, I was about 11 and a half. Oh gonna be 12. And Gilbert was right here. And he was screaming at us. And I don't know if you ever had somebody screaming at you there look is actually coming out of their mouth. They're like, they're like insanely angry, you know?

Speaker 2 (20:41):

And I'm like this, and I'm squeezing my cheeks cause I know I'm gonna my pants. And, and I'm like, oh, I know he's gonna hit me. He's gonna, and Gilbert, I'm watching Gilbert go.

Speaker 1 (20:55):

Mm.

Speaker 2 (20:56):

And I'm looking, I'm looking, I'm looking at, he got so angry at Gilbert cuz Gilbert went to sleep. Mm. He noded out. And when he got so angry, I, he almost had a seizure and ran, went into his room, didn't hit us. Gilbert woke up like he, Hey, did he hit us? I go, God, I wanna be just like you for the rest of my life. Mm. I wanna be able to stare at the devil and spit at him and go to sleep.

Speaker 1 (21:23):

And so that, even seeing that that's deep. I mean, Danny, that's so deep. The psychological at that moment when I, and saying I wanna be able to endure that

Speaker 2 (21:35):

When I seen him fix and go into that, oh, give both arms. You know what I mean? He was like, I wa I wanted to be there. I didn't wanna be a scared little kid. Do you understand? I didn't wanna be as scared of my grandfather. I didn't wanna be a scared of my dad. You know what I mean? And

Speaker 1 (21:51):

Well, it was almost like a coping mechanism for you. Like the drugs became a way for you to cope.

Speaker 2 (21:57):

It ever It was coping me. It was self-medicating, you know what I mean? It was like, wait a minute, man. I, and, and I, you know, I got loaded off from junior high school. I got drunk all junior. I, I got, I think I got kicked out of junior and I about 11 times. I don't because not all the time, but I, I, if I had cornin flakes on my shoes, they knew I'd throwing up. What I mean. So it was like, that's what we did.

Speaker 1 (22:25):

That's, and so you went through your,

Speaker 2 (22:26):

Me and Mike Cerna did our first robbery. We were 14, we did it, we did the, at the Far East Market right down the street where I still live. And it's funny cuz we stole my uncle's 1955 Ford Fairlane 500 pink and white convertible. Now, can you imagine doing an arm robbery in a

Speaker 1 (22:51):

Convertible?

Speaker 2 (22:52):

And we did it, we did it with a gun that didn't work. It was like the gun, you held it like this. But if you took your hand up, it would fall down. It would, it would break. So I remember going, gimme the money, give me the money. And she gave me $8 out of the cash register. But in the old days, everybody kept all the big bills in a cigar box underneath the counter. And I said, no, gimme the box. And when I went like that, the gun went down. Somebody comes screaming out of the back, we, we ran and we were like laughing, going down Lanham Boulevard just cracking up. And then,

Speaker 1 (23:28):

Well, Dana, you know what's interesting to me, even as you're telling your story, I can tell you're an actor. It's almost like you're telling me, I mean, really, I feel like I'm watching one of your movies,

Speaker 2 (23:38):

<Laugh>.

Speaker 1 (23:40):

But this was literally real life.

Speaker 2 (23:43):

I've been acting all my life. Like, you know, cause I if, if you're, if you're 132 pounds or hundred and, and you gotta act tough. It's like, you know, you get down, you can, you can get down. And then if you get a little bit of wine in you, wine, alcohol makes you as big as you want to be.

Speaker 1 (24:06):

So it was like that. So let me ask you this, Danny, when did you realize, because as you said, the alcohol, the drugs, the heroin helped you to cope. It was like self-medicating. When did you have the light bulb realization? Because I know you went to treatment, but when did you have the light bulb realization that I can't live like this anymore? What was it for you that said something's gotta change?

Speaker 2 (24:28):

When I was in the hole in Soledad and Henry Kija said, Hey, they're gonna top us. It's like all my life, all my teachers said there's a lot of potential. But he won't sit still high school, a lot of potential. But, you know, God, he doesn't come to school. Parole officers, a lot of potential, but he won't stop committing crimes. And I always had a lot of potential. And when Henry said that, I'm looking and I says, God, what happened to all my potential? And it just stuck with me, you know? And, and I remember saying, you know what if I, I gotta die. I, I remember this, this movie, it was called The East Side Kids. It was a, a story back in the fifties. And and the guys in the gang, the main guy, the big guy was going up the river to sing sing. And they were gonna give him the chair. Right. And, and Mugsy and all the guys were saying, Hey, he'll spit in their eye. Yeah. He'll tell 'em, come get me coppers. And and Pat O'Brien had to come and tell these kids. No, he, he went out like a little girl, man. He was screaming, yelling, his pain. Hmm. And I remember saying, God, let me die with dignity. Mm. I a reput, lightweight multiway champion of this institution.

Speaker 1 (25:52):

No, but I think, you know, what you said there, Danny is so powerful because it almost, you know, when you said it, it touched me because there's so many people, kids, like you said, who had so much potential. Even your parole officers saying, Danny, you have so much potential and you're in the hole. You're at this moment where you're thinking this could be the end for you potentially. And you're realizing I have all this potential

Speaker 2 (26:16):

And I'm gonna die

Speaker 1 (26:18):

And I'm gonna die. And I've done nothing with it. And so was that, did that kind of just propel you to say, if I get outta here, like

Speaker 2 (26:26):

Different, I say, I said, Lord, if you let me die with dignity, if I get out, I will say your name every day and I will do whatever I can for my fellow inmate. I said, inmate, I never thought I was getting outta prison. I went to board in 1969. The parole board literally said, Trejo, we're sick of you. Mm-Hmm Now you've been a pain in our for years. Now look it, we're gonna let you out. Bring us back a life sentence. Cause I only had a 10 top that time. Mm-Hmm. So they only had me for four more years. You know what I mean? So bring us back a life sentence. Cause they knew I was coming back.

Speaker 1 (27:06):

Wow. So they just thought you were coming back. So when you look back, you know Danny, which has been interesting cuz we see like your childhood and what you were dealing with. And then we see, you know, these moments of revelation that you have. But here you go on and you become this actor and your whole life, I mean, changes

Speaker 2 (27:26):

That, that director literally changed my life. Andre Kozlowski changed my life. I didn't know what a SAG card was. I was making maybe $160 a week, you know, and that was a, you know, good money for, you know, the, the seventies and eighties, I guess, I don't don't even remember. But I was a drug counselor and I was helping a lot of people. And when I got that SAG card changed my life. And I remember going to Dr. Dor, my boss telling me, Hey, you know what I got in the movies home. He said, good, keep going. Keep it up that way you can keep saying our name, say Western. Okay, cool. So he used me as a I guess a commercial. I don't know. But I got a lot of people, I, I'd be on a movie set and I'd see somebody loaded Isaiah Holmes, come on, let's let's get into rehab. Or let's get clean. Mm-Hmm.

Speaker 1 (28:18):

<Affirmative>. Well you, you know, when I think about that, I'm looking at the comments here. Just somebody saying, Hey, my home Ray has 25 years. Your long-term sobriety is possible, your inspiration. And I wonder when you think about why you've been so successful at sobriety, do you, do you feel, of course, I know you're gonna say God, but do you also feel hope was a big part of it and having purpose? Because for the first time with the sag, it seems like you had hope. Yeah. And you had purpose.

Speaker 2 (28:46):

Hope was the magic word. Purpose. Absolutely. And you know, when I got into movies, the first thing when I was still speaking at schools, I can remember walking onto a stage in an auditorium after teachers had been trying to get kids quiet. I've been to some of the worst schools in LA Walk, Onk, complete quiet. Wow. That's that guy from Con Air. He desperado you know blood in, blood Out. Not so much Danny Trayo, I can't take the credit. It is those guys that they've seen in their living room. They wanna see what he has to say cuz that's who they know. And when I start talking about drugs and alcohol will rule in your life, education is the key to anything you want to do. Teachers are come, do you know what? They listened. Mm, they listened because it was you. And that's, that's like, that's like a joy.

Speaker 1 (29:41):

That's gonna be huge for you. Just to know that your life, like you said, your life now has turned into inspiration. That is convincing young kids not to go down a path that you went down showing them that there's hope and potential. And what do you hope Danny, that people learn from your 54 years of sobriety when somebody says how you did it, what do we hope that person who's struggling right now with addiction, what do you hope they walk away with from your

Speaker 2 (30:10):

Story? First of all, that it is possible. Do you understand? It is possible. All you gotta do is stay clean one day. You know, just one day just bring all problems in to one day. I always say try breathing for tomorrow. Go, that's for tomorrow. No, it's not. I just used it. You know, so I, I can't breathe for tomorrow and yesterday's gone. You know, I, I can't breathe. It's like I'm right here today and as long as I keep my problems in today, you, you understand. It's like, I I got it. God, God's got me for tomorrow. So I'm here, I'm here, I'm doing this. I I I did a movie called Blood In Blood Out. I did it in San Quentin State Prison. I'd been in quitting in the sixties. I ran into a kid in, in San Quentin named Mario Castile. Okay.

Speaker 2 (30:59):

We talked about staying clean. Staying sober. You yeah. Yeah. You're in the movies. Cool, cool, cool. And I talked to him about eight years later when he finally went back and forth and got out. I ran into him on a, on a movies, oh no, I'm sorry. On a, a narcotics anonymous convention. And he goes, yeah, I'm working in drug abuse. I took your advice. Yeah. Clean, blah, blah. And it was really cool. We became friends and then he got liver cancer and he, he needed a liver replacement. You know, his liver, they gave him a liver and he was, became destitute. Cuz you know, there's no insurance for that stuff. And, and and so, hey, well you know what, move into my pat, answer my phone. Do you know, let's go here. You know? And so, so he became my assistant. And I get almost nine years ago, he saved my son's life.

Speaker 1 (31:52):

Wow.

Speaker 2 (31:54):

You know, my son was, my son was die. My son, my son was more hooked than I'd ever been. I couldn't believe it because of the drugs they got now. Eight and a half. My son was dying. Mario Castillo busted into a crack house, told a, told <laugh>, told a bodyguard, sit down, I'll beat your head. Pull my son out. And, and, and we took him to, to, I was in Germany when I got back. We, we took him to rehab and, and a and a girl named Renee. I remember calling her and I, I, I've known her right from meetings. And Renee, I got, I got my son and I gotta get him, bring him, bring him. But do you have a bed, Dan? I don't care. I'll double him up. Bring him. We took him up to a place called Rim of the World. It's, it's up in Lake Arrowhead. And I remember we passed through the clouds getting up there. I remember my son going, well, all ideas of escape are out <laugh>. And this is through the cloud. My son's got eight and a half years clean right

Speaker 1 (32:57):

Now. Wow.

Speaker 2 (32:58):

He just got into the dga. He is now a bonafide director. <Laugh>.

Speaker 1 (33:06):

Whoa.

Speaker 2 (33:07):

So you tell me, God, don't

Speaker 1 (33:09):

Full circle

Speaker 2 (33:10):

Your face. I'll tell you right now, eight years. I will slap your face if you tell me God don't work. You know. Well,

Speaker 1 (33:17):

You know what? There's several miracles in that, Danny, because I think about the fact that you are such a giving person. I can see that like giving back to the prisons, but giving this man a place to live. He goes and helps save your son. And I can just tell that just all of the, the, the giving that you've done has made a difference. And you know, as I think back over the 54 years, what do you think has been the biggest lesson you've learned about sobriety? And does it get any easier? That is the question. Cuz I know I think 54 years, is it easy at that point? Do you still struggle at that point? And what have you learned?

Speaker 2 (33:55):

The struggle is one day and you know, what can happen one day, you know, and, and, and it easier. It becomes a way of life. And once you become this way of life, then it's like, this is my life. It's funny, when I look at, I walk into a liquor store and I see all these beautiful bottles. I, I see poison. I see a skulling cross bone. I don't see, you know Ooh, look at this. Beautiful. Yeah, I see a skulling crossbones. Mm-Hmm. You know, people say you wanna get loaded? Oh, wait a minute. Do I want to go to prison, get naked, have to show my to a cop. Now, see, because because I, I don't remember the joy of using, I remember the armed robberies. I remember the shootings. I remember the burning. I remember all that. You know, so I, I <laugh> I love it when people, people, well yeah, but I had a lot of fun. What are you talking about? On yourself? Throwing up, embarrassing everybody around you. That was four. You know, so I talk about

Speaker 1 (34:57):

Not bet you lost a lot of friends too, or people to this disease. Oh,

Speaker 2 (35:01):

Well, you know what I'm telling you, it's like so funny. I'll tell you right now, when we go to a club, right? And I'm, oh yeah, let me have a cranberry juice and seven up mix. Why don't you drink, Dan, why don't you drink? I'm, why don't you drink? I said, you wanna know why I don't drink? Because when you get drunk, I'm gonna take your old lady home

Speaker 1 (35:20):

To let them know

Speaker 2 (35:21):

No, no good. And they go, oh no, I don't drink that much. You know, because I mean, basically, wait a minute, I'm alive. You know you're dying.

Speaker 1 (35:30):

Mm. That's powerful. You said I'm alive. I wanna bring you up your book real quick before we get your final comments. Because all of this led you to write this book, my Life of Crime, redemption and Hollywood. What was the catalyst for the book? I know, I mean, you shared your story with a lot of people, but what led you say, I gotta write this down. I've gotta leave this legacy.

Speaker 2 (35:53):

I don't know how much time we have, but, but his, my everybody, like from eight years ago, people were telling me, write a book. Danny write a book. And they'd send me writers and I'd get a writer. And the minute they used the word like prolific, I, I don't talk like that man. I just say a lot. You know? And, and, and so I could never find anybody. In 1991, I ran into a kid named Donald Log. I ran into him in the Hollywood Drug and Alcohol Center, right at 12 o'clock at night, there was a meeting there. I walked in, I see this skinny little redheaded kid. And I go I go, Hey, how you doing? Hey, what do you mean hon? Who cares? Do you really care? And I thought, should I kill this kid or just leave? I couldn't believe it. Cause he was like 20 pounds. And I said, I said, you what? Hey, you have a great night. And I walked away, right? Eight years later, I run into this kid,

Speaker 1 (36:53):

Wait, the same kid write the book?

Speaker 2 (36:57):

No, listen, wait, I run into him. We're on a, a movie called Reindeer Games. And, and Vin Diesel had, had, had his, his role, but Vin Diesel wasn't right for the role. He, this kid was supposed to play like kind of a, a goofy guy, you know what I mean? And Vin Diesel can't be goofy. I don't, you know, VIN Diesel is just Vin Diesel and he just goes fast. That's all. Nah, don't make him a goofy guy. And so, and so I remember talking to Vin Diesel telling him, Hey, this ain't right for you, Holmes, what are you doing? He said, I'm doing a favor for this guy, man. I can't get into this role. I said, well, you better get outta here before we film you or then your toilet in Hollywood next day. He said, you know what, I'm, I'm outta here, Dan.

Speaker 2 (37:39):

Thank you, man. He left. And they send up Donald Lowe. They send up this kid who had been acting, and he's going through this unbelievable thing with his wife had a baby two days ago. And he's gotta come up to to Canada to do this movie. And he was just insane as, look, you are up here to support that kid, fool. You know what I mean? You're, that's all there is to it. Now you do whatever you want to do, but you're up here to support your kid. And so we became really good friends. I mean, we hung everything, man. And

Speaker 1 (38:14):

How did that get to the book

Speaker 2 (38:16):

Became

Speaker 1 (38:17):

Story? You giving me all the details?

Speaker 2 (38:19):

So when we started, we were driving around and he's, I'm talking and he's writing and recording and I, I gave I gave two chapters to my kid's mom Mave. And she read it and said, Danny, it's like talking to you. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. And when she said that, that was it. And then she said, look, this is about yeah, your story, but what about your mom? What about your dad? You know? I said, well, that's their story. And then she said, why do you think you've been married four times? Why do you think you wouldn't trust me to go to the store? Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, it might have to do with your mom. And I'm not, but so we put that stuff in, you'd be surpris.

Speaker 1 (39:02):

No, it's very, I can tell it's very deep and transparent

Speaker 2 (39:05):

How many guys they've come me, man. The same thing happened to my family home. Mm. Broke our family apart. I was so embarrassed and it was some heavy stuff, you know? And people have really confided in me because I put that in the book.

Speaker 1 (39:18):

Yeah, it sounds like it. I mean, you've just been so transparent even here with us today. And I can see, like you said, how your childhood and everything just led you to the moment of where you are now. And I look at you, I can't believe you're 78, first of all, <laugh>. I'm like, what can I look like that at 78? I mean, you got all this energy and everything

Speaker 2 (39:39):

<Laugh>. I just finished playing a 54 year old guy. That's cool. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:44):

I'll, I'm like, how does that even happen? Who gets that lucky? And I know you've said Danny, I'm not retiring. So what's next for you? As, as we round up this addiction talk? People wanna know

Speaker 2 (39:54):

Just finished a film call. I just finished a film called Tim Travelers. It's about, it's kind of science fiction. Unbelievable. I did a movie called 1521 about when the Spaniards tried to colonize the Philippines. And they said, we'll baptize you or kill you. And and then you know, I got my record label. We're we're going on tour with Live Nations. So that's like so cool. My singers are so, and like Tara knew God, she can sing country unreal. And, but right now we're doing sodi. You

Speaker 1 (40:28):

So you not going down is what I'm hearing. Danny, you got a record deal. You were just in Washington filming. You're keeping things going. So things you don't see yourself ever slowing down.

Speaker 2 (40:40):

Nah, my, my, my agent Gloria in OSA calls me her workhorse. Yeah, my workhorse. You know, so, cause I, I don't, but would I do, you know, I can only do so much fishing, you know?

Speaker 1 (40:53):

Right. You're like, I gotta keep,

Speaker 2 (40:54):

I got a bunny green. I got a green in my backyard. I have never used <laugh>. It's like, I don't want to golf

Speaker 1 (41:01):

<Laugh>, you gotta still keep p putting your message out there. But you know, it's good because you're touching lives because of it and because these kids see you in films and they recognize you. Like you said, you can walk into the school and it's silent and they listen. So what you're doing and keeping going is having such an impact. And if there was any final message tonight, Danny, that you would leave with someone who is struggling, who's hearing your story, what would your be your final words tonight?

Speaker 2 (41:31):

You know what I love saying? I would would rather shoot for the moon and miss than aim for the gutter and make it. Mm.

Speaker 1 (41:40):

That's good. That's, I love that

Speaker 2 (41:42):

Quote. Honest to God. That's it. It's like, you know what? I don't care. You shoot for the moon might miss, but you know, you're up there in the start, shoot for the gutter. You'll make that, you know, that's not that hard. And

Speaker 1 (41:53):

So it's about keep going, don't leave

Speaker 2 (41:56):

Up. I thank God we just got Mayor Bass in, in our, our our in our city and, and I'm helping her with the homeless and stuff and, and the mental health because that's the biggest problem is a lot of the people out there are mental health. We deal with bipolar, we deal with autism, we deal with schizophrenia. You know, that's a lot of the people that are homeless and I've been working with, with special needs children. That's why we got gluten free in our restaurants. Cause kids with autism don't do that well with gluten.

Speaker 1 (42:30):

Wow. Well, I just wanna say thank you for coming on Addiction Talk. I know you're making a huge impact and we'll continue to watch you on the big screen.

Speaker 2 (42:39):

I'll

Speaker 1 (42:40):

Be there. And again, that isn't gonna do it for all of you who've been watching from your homes. That's gonna do it for another episode of Addiction Talk, our final episode of 2022 after Danny Trayo. Make sure you go check out his book if you haven't checked it out. But as you can see, he is on a mission to inspire and to change lives one person at a time.

Speaker 2 (43:01):

God bless you.