“I love doing these,” says Danny Trejo. “I love doing Fan Expo. And I love the fans.”
It’s Friday, Black Friday, the opening day of Fan Expo San Francisco, and Danny Trejo has managed to squeeze a little time in to chat with me privately at the beginning of his packed schedule. He is slated for appearances throughout the entire three-day weekend of FXSF, including several autograph and selfie ops at his personal booth, a professional photo session with Epic Photo Ops, and a panel presentation focused just on him in the main hall. He’s excited - always delighted to meet and greet his fans. And gatherings like Fan Expo provide the perfect venue for him to get in touch with his audience. “People always ask ‘do you get tired?’ NO! I don’t get tired of people giving love. I’ve never had a bad report. I’ve never heard anybody go ‘you suck!’ so I guess I’m doing okay.”
I have a special connection with Danny Trejo. Back in 2017-18, we worked together on a TV Show called Man at Arms: Art of War. Our show motto was 'Stay Sharp!' which Danny said on the outro of every episode. That was over six years ago, and it’s been impossible to keep up with him since. In that time, Danny has been involved in over 135 projects. That’s nearly two dozen projects per year, and the pandemic was right in the middle of that period. With nearly 450 acting credits to his name, he’s one of the hardest working men in the business.
And this doesn’t even include overseeing his restaurants Trejo’s Tacos and Danny Trejo’s Donuts. Danny has more merch available for autographing than any other celebrity here, from cookbooks from his restaurants, to limited-edition Funko Pops, to his own signature line of hot sauce, to his recent autobiography, Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption and Hollywood. And on top of all that, Danny is constantly supporting various charities for animal protection, drug rehab, prison reform, veterans’ needs, autism support and more. “Still a drug counselor,” says Danny, “still work for Western Pacific Rehab.”
Fan Expo SF is just one of Danny’s many stops as he continues barreling through life like a runaway train. He came to Fan Expo from New York where he was promoting his latest project, Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo, a new documentary series that he’s hosting for the History Channel. What’s more, he was featured in three films in the last few months: 1521, a historical drama about when the Spaniards tried to take over the Philippines, Seven Cemeteries where he plays a recent parolee who gets a Mexican witch to resurrect his old posse so that they can help him save a woman's ranch from a ruthless drug lord, and the animated kid’s film Gracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue, where he’s a voice actor. “I play Laurence Fishbowl. And I'm a goldfish. [laughs]”
Even though he’s never studied Kung Fu, Danny Trejo embodies the sort of role model that every Kung Fu master aspires to be. He’s immensely prolific, a fierce fighter, and yet still has the energy to do good karma work. Danny’s career is a testament of redemption, endurance and longevity. “I’m 80 years old and I love what I do.”
FXSF’s Junior Year
Twenty-twenty-four marks Fan Expo’s third outing in San Francisco. Launched in 2022 at the city’s most prominent convention venue, Moscone Center, FXSF has risen to be the Bay Area’s leading Fan Gathering. And 2024 marks their halfway point on a five-year commitment that Fan Expo has with San Francisco. We’re hoping it sticks, and Fan Expo enjoys a long run in our city by the bay.
Fan Expo’s layout was essentially the same as last year – a three-story event with two floors of vendors, two floors of halls for appearances, workshops, cosplay repair, kids and panels, and guest autographing booths almost everywhere. Alongside Danny was host of renowned celebrities like Hayden Christensen, Dolph Lundgren, Andy Serkis, Giancarlo Esposito, John Rhys-Davies, and many more.
Swords were everywhere with multiple booths dedicated solely to swords, mostly cosplay and replicas from anime, film and TV franchises. There were several more booths just for lightsabers. There was even a new large booth dedicated to Balisong (butterfly knife) trainers, the locally based Squid Industries.
I should really bring a sword to the next fan gathering. Everyone else does. I couldn’t bring my good swords, or even any real swords, because that would be so inappropriate. There’s always a weapons check at cosplay fan gatherings, just as there should be. A swordsman (or woman) should know how to get through a crowd while carrying a sword, and that’s not something that can be trained in a wuguan, dojo, or whatever you call your martial arts school. It’s a very educational experience and gives you a new relationship to sword practice, even if it’s not a real sword. I’ve carried swords at Renaissance faires for the same reason. Unlike the Renn faire, where you can often carry steel blades and there’s some appropriate sword etiquette, navigating through a crowd of Thor’s hammers, Cap’s shields, and so many anime katanas, might present its own unique challenges. It’s good practice to walk the walk, with a sword at your side.
Trejo on Boxing and Tyson versus Paul
When it comes to fighting, Danny has walked the walk. He was a boxing champion in prison. Consequently, my interview with Danny took a sharp left hook when we started to talk about boxing. He doesn’t box anymore, but he’ll still work a heavy bag as part of his regimen. “I still love boxing,” says Danny. “I watched Tyson get tired in the second round. He forgot that you have to practice for 18 months for 8 round fight. I mean, it's not like you're just gonna run around the block a couple of times. You have to work and work and work.”
Nevertheless, he enjoyed the show and was very impressed by the previous fight, Taylor versus Serrano. “That was awesome.” Danny has been to plenty of live boxing matches. His celebrity gets him VIP treatment now. He’s enjoyed going to a few MMA fights as well. “MMA took it a little further now,” says Danny. “Boxing is a sport. MMA is more of a contest. Hitting somebody with an elbow is like hitting somebody with a board. Pretty soon in an MMA fight, you’ll be able to bite [laughs].
“Boxing is about winning. It’s about style. It’s like when I met [Floyd] Mayweather. I was checking him out and he was like ‘You box?’ And I said ‘Yeah, a little bit.’ And I told him ‘You don’t box.’ And he looked at me. ‘You play chess. Everybody else is playing checkers.’ He laughed. ‘You got that right!’ he said. And he does. He’ll do something in the second round. Bang! And then BOOM! You’ll see it again in the fourth round. He’s always thinking ahead. This was before he retired.”
“And now, the main guy, that Mexican kid, Canelo. Canelo can box and slug. But Mayweather is such a genius. He fought that kid when he was a kid. He could see him coming up. I don't think a year from the time that Floyd fought him, he would have fought him again, you know. Not that not that he's scared. He’s not even scared of Godzilla but it's just that kid. He learned. He was in awe of Floyd Mayweather. You know what I mean? How the fuck are you gonna beat somebody that you think is Superman? Your role model.”
The Art of FAN EXPO SF
For many fans, celebrities serve as role models, not just through the characters they portray, but how they behave in real life. Through the panels and the meet and greets, fans get to meet the people behind the heroes, and villains, that they love, as well as the artists. And at FAN EXPO SF, there are artists on every level, from the leading comic artists and graphic designers to indie artists who are just starting out.
I was delighted to see Lawrence Washington again. He had a successful year touring through several fan gatherings and expanded his art collection to even more martial subjects. I’ve been watching the growth of his artwork since before the pandemic, and documenting some of it here in my fan gathering reports because of the martial themes in his work.
He had built upon the art display case since he was at TCEC earlier this year. Lawrence was the first vendor that I’ve culled from a fan gathering, and Lawrence kindly donated one of his art boxes for a prize at our WildAid Tiger Claw Championship ,so his artwork holds a special place with me.
The most thrilling addition to Fan Expo this year was a performance of taiko drumming by GenRyu Arts. This was part of a new cooperative effort between Fan Expo SF and San Francisco’s Japantown. It’s a great match because both celebrate anime. The youth drumming troupe put on a thrilling and thunderous performance on the red carpet, bringing some authentic traditional culture to the fan gathering, a booming and enriching experience.
On a personal note, I was disappointed that there wasn’t more Arcane representation. It's not very Kung Fu-esque, despite some eye-popping fight scenes, but it's my latest obsession - IYKYK. I had just finished watching Season 2 on Netflix the week before Fan Expo SF and loved it. But all the vendors said they were working on merch, mostly Jinx stuff, but didn’t have any yet. Next time. At the very least, I managed to grab a selfie with Poppy Lop, a professional cosplayer who did an amazing Jinx, complete with an awesome 3D build of Jinx’s shark gun. I also sat beside a good Caitlyn cosplayer at Danny’s panel, but I was too focused on Danny for that selfie. We were in the front row, and it would’ve been quite a stunt to shoot that gracefully whilst documenting Danny’s panel.
Trejo on Doing His Own Stunts
At Danny’s panel, One-on-One with Danny Trejo! topics ranged from getting acting tips from Robert DeNiro, to eating turkey with Salma Hayek, to stunt work. When asked what he thinks about doing his own stunts, Danny gave one of the most honest answers I’ve ever heard. “Stuntmen. Well, I don't take their job.”
“It's so funny,” he explains. “Every actor that I've seen try to do stunts gets hurt. Honest to God. So all that shit about ‘Yeah, I do my own stunts. It’s bullshit.’ Let me tell you why. I'm an investor. I got $35 million invested in this movie. I'm gonna let my star do a stunt just so he can say ‘Yeah, my balls are big’ and risk $35 million, you know I mean?”
“Hey, when I can show up on the set, I tell the director, ‘I don't jump off a curb. See that guy there? Put a mustache on him’ you know? And they have a job too. So I won’t do stunts.”
For someone who penetrated Hollywood by playing a prison boxer after being one in real life, Danny sees the big picture of filmmaking. Few have his longevity in the action genre. “I think when I was younger, I took myself more seriously. But I think as you get older, because it's inevitable, you're gonna get older. Whatever. It's like - time just makes it easier sometimes.”
What’s Next?
Danny doesn’t seem to age. He has that same energetic charisma I remember from six years ago. So what’s next for him? According to IMDb, he has 24 projects queued up, including the highly anticipated Machete Kills in Space. “Everywhere I go – everywhere – people ask me about ‘Hey, when are you doing Machete Kills in Space?’ I should’ve bought stock in machetes.” This would be the threequel of Director Robert Rodriguez’s Machete franchise, the one that Danny is most remembered by. However, like many listings on IMDb, it’s a dubious project, yet to be officially greenlit. It’s more of the dream of the fandom.
How does Danny manage to keep going at 80 with all his film and TV projects, his restaurants and his charity work? What’s his secret? Without hesitation, Danny offers two words of advice: “Don’t stop [laughs].”
For more on Fan Expo, read The Kung Fu of Fan Expo San Francisco and The Kung Fu of Fan Expo San Francisco: Anime Katanas Rising
For more coverage on Danny Trejo, read MAN AT ARMS: ART OF WAR – Season 2: Cutting Loose with Danny Trejo
Note: Trejo’s quotes are extracted from a private interview with the author and his panel One-on-One with Danny Trejo! a panel held on Saturday in the Main Theater of Fan Expo SF 2024.
