MovieChat Forums > Danny Trejo Discussion > This guy is in way too many movies - nee...

This guy is in way too many movies - needs to be more choosy


I went to Netflix the other day and put in his name and there were like 30 or so movies that popped up that he did in the last year or two. 90% were no-name, bargain basement junk I've never heard of before. I thought Nicolas Cage or Robert DeNiro took the crown as actor most likely to star in anything for a buck, but Danny Trejo puts those esteemed thespians to shame. I know Danny Trejo isn't exactly on a critical scale of Dustin Hoffman or even Mark Wahlberg, but maybe he might want to be a bit choosier if he ever wants to acquire any kind of critical credibility. If he just stars in anything, serious producers will never consider him for any substantial role, and he will lose out on any potential juicy character parts. I think with Machete giving him a substantial following, he can star in higher profile projects than Zombie Killers 2 or crap like that. Then again, he might just be interested in just getting paid and that's it, but even those no-name parts that he churns out will dry up if mainstream audiences start to forget about it.

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I honestly doubt if critical credibility is something Danny ever thinks about, and why should he? He never claimed to be a Robert DeNiro, but he's laughing all the way to the bank.

I'm only in Show Biz by injection

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As a child drug addict and ex-con, he's doing pretty well. Can't blame him for working as much as he can and taking all the jobs he's offered. It doesn't seem like he chose this career, as much as it chose him.

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A man has got to feed his family.

And at his stage in life, I think the "critical credibility" is the least of his concerns.

DT is having the last laugh.

My compliments to you, Danny Trejo,

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He went from jail to making movies. What have you done, OP.

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Danny's kind of an old guy, and his career picked up really late in the game, so he's probably trying to cram as much in as he can while he's still able. Plus, after having such a rough start in life, there's got to be a "kid in a candy store" aspect to it, too -- he's got to still be amazed to be in such high demand, so it's probably hard to turn anything down. So, yeah, he does star in too many things and a lot of them turn out not to be very good movies (although he's usually the best part of almost anything he's in), but I can't really blame him much. They're paying him, he likes doing the work, so I think he's more focused on that than leaving some kind of "legacy." He's not a bad actor, but he's not a Lawrence Olivier or anything, and he knows it... his best way to make a mark is to be seen a lot, be a familiar face. And, he's getting plenty of exposure for that. I'm happy for the guy.

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Iced Tea was asked why he was in so many bad movies. He response: i grew up poor. so if someone is offering you 50k to show up for 3 days to be in some stupid movie, you DAMN better take it))))

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He can't act for sh!t anyhow, so this credibility you speak of is moot. Don't get me wrong, I like his movies and I like him in them, but dude sucks as an actor, and I'm surprised he has such a busy career. Without Quinten Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez I don't think he would have ever had an acting career. From dusk till dawn and desperado are the only reason anyone have him any mind. He was very lucky to have gotten those two rolls when he did as, IMO, that was at the height of both of QT and RR's careers. Both movies came out within a year of each other, giving Danny Treo so much notoriety. Danny got lucky, he wasn't going to go on as a big name actor no matter how choosy her is, so he made the smart move and does everything he gets an offer for.

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I don't think he cares about creating a cinematic legacy; I think he just sees acting as a fun job, which is understandable when your life was previously at a dead end...

You're wrong; there will always be work in B-movies for actors like him that have name recognition... Does his CV look like it's drying up?! No.






"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

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