Danny Trejo says his good fortune is a result of helping others
The former criminal and addict - who turned his life around after finding God and sobriety in 1968 - has opened up about how his driver Mario saved his son Gilbert's life, almost 15 years after Danny helped him get back on his feet.
9 July 2024
In an exclusive interview with BANG Showbiz, Danny said: "Mario was doing really well and then he had problems with his liver and he needed a liver transplant. So he goes to the hospital and got the transplant but literally lost everything. I used to call him and say 'Mario, if you're up there [heaven], put in a good word for me but if you're down there [hell], don't tell them you know me. It was on speaker so I could hear the nurses laughing. So when he came out, I said 'move in with me, I have a spare room' because he couldn't work. So then he got better and became a drug counsellor and I hired him to work for me, driving.
"That was 25 years ago so nine years ago when my son was hooked on drugs and dying, Mario saved his life. Literally. Kicked in the door to a crack house, pulled my son out and told two bodyguards 'I'll kill ya'. And my son today is a director of film and he is almost 10 years sober. God will repay you, you just don't know when. Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else."
Meanwhile, Danny - who was photographed by Naf Castanas @adashandasplash in London - launched the first outpost of his LA taco restaurant Trejo's Tacos in London earlier this year and revealed he changed the menu around to cater to the needs of autistic children.
He said: "I work with autistic children and they told us that kids with autism don't do good with gluten, it doesn't sit right with them so we put gluten free options on the menu. So if you come to the restaurant at like four or five o'clock, you'll see families there with special needs children so mom doesn't have to cook three different meals. We took a lot of the unhealthy stuff out so our food is pretty healthy."
For more information, go to trejostacos.co.uk and for reservations, visit www.sevenrooms.com/reservations/trejostacos.
© 2024 Bang Showbiz, NZCity
