One of the most easily recognizable faces in Hollywood, LA-native Danny Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn) has overcome many obstacles on his path to stardom, but is now cashing in on his signature scowl with a series of successful, self-titled food franchises.
Trejo is reportedly working on 23 different TV and film projects this year alone, making him officially the busiest man in the business. However, despite his success, he revealed his distaste with being branded a 'movie star.'
"I'm an actor. I hate movie stars. They're idiots," he told On Air With Ryan Seacrest Friday. "An actor shows up, knows his lines, and doesn't bump into the furniture... A movie star just kind of like, wants shit. I've watched people just get mad about their trailers. And M&Ms."
Prior to his acting career, Trejo famously struggled with addiction and spent years in and out of prison, where he acquired several boxing titles that helped him get his early roles in films. When asked about his turning point from prison to acting, he explained:
"1968. Cinco de Mayo... We had a big riot in Soledad. I got in a lot of trouble. I just kind of knew that I was either gonna spend the rest of my life in prison, or i'm gonna take drugs and alcohol out. It was that simple." Now more than 42 years sober, Trejo has dedicated his life to sharing this message with youth as a drug counselor.
Between his volunteering and acting projects, Trejo has also found time to manage his family of LA eateries — Trejo's Tacos (as seen on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown), Trejo's Cantina and Trejo's Coffee & Donuts — and will continue to expand the eponymous franchise with two new locations opening this year in Pasadena and USC Village.
Discussing his venture into the food space, Trejo described growing up with a "gourmet chef" mother and dreams of opening a restaurant with the family name. It became a reality when a fellow foodie producer on set approached him with a business plan for his first eatery, Trejo's Tacos. "It was a no-brainer," he said.
The Trejo's Taco menu features traditional favorites like the pulled beef brisket taco and house-made churros, but also several "surprisingly delicious" vegetarian and vegan options including rainbow cauliflower and young jackfruit tacos, of which Trejo remarked, "Yeah they gave me something, and I didn't even know what it was, but I was like 'hey, this is good!'"
In addition, Trejo recently celebrated the launch of his "bright pink" gourmet coffee and donuts shop Trejo's Coffee & Donuts where he serves up a unique menu of donuts with quirky names to match: Low Rider Donut, OG Donut and Abuelita, to name a few.
Trejo added, laughing, "That's grandma's donut."
Location information and menus for all of Trejo's LA locations are available here. You can also catch Trejo in All About The Money in theaters today.
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Photos: Emily Campbell/iHeartMedia