Danny Trejo’s son says legendary father ‘cant say how he feels’ about starring in new ICE movie
Danny Trejo’s son says legendary father ‘cant say how he feels’ about starring in new ICE movie
Carsen HoladayThu, October 15, 2026 at 3:19 PM UTC
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EXCLUSIVE: Gilbert Trejo told 'The Independent' that his 82-year-old father ‘can’t really come out and say how he feels about any of this in any real way’
Danny Trejo’s son is pushing back against the narrative that his father knew what he was getting into by signing onto the controversial Daily Wire film Pawn Shop.
The 82-year-old Mexican actor came under fire after he was cast in the pro-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement movie, which is being produced by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro’s company. The film is set in Minneapolis in the aftermath of the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good.
Danny denied being “pro-ICE” and said he was “pro immigrant” in a short statement shared last week.
But now his son, Gilbert Trejo, is claiming that the Spy Kids actor is being forced to keep quiet due to his contract for the film — and that he was tricked into joining the movie in the first place.
“My dad can’t really come out and say how he feels about any of this in any real way,” Gilbert, a 38-year-old director based in Los Angeles, told The Independent in a conversation Wednesday.
Danny Trejo has more than 450 credits to his name, per IMDB (Getty)
Gilbert Trejo (left) spoke to 'The Independent' about his father Danny's involvement with Ben Shapiro's pro-ICE film (Gilbert Trejo/Instagram)
As his father’s speech is limited due to promotional clauses in his film contract, Gilbert posted an Instagram Story speaking out on his behalf, saying: “My 82-year-old dad has never heard of Ben Shapiro, I had to explain to him who that is, and what kind of guy he is. My dad contractually can’t bad mouth him, the film, or walk away without being sued for breach of contract. He couldn’t even release the statement he wanted to.”
He continued, “He’s handcuffed to this stupid project, and swaths of people have instantly turned their backs on him without knowing any of the facts.”
Gilbert shared with The Independent that when his father took the acting job, the Heat actor was told that it was an action movie being filmed in Montana. Then, two weeks into filming, Shapiro’s company joined the production team.
“He had already been on camera for a substantial amount of time,” Trejo’s son explained. “You can’t, as an actor, walk away from that without everyone working on that losing their job and the entire production getting shut down.”
The younger Trejo went on to claim that a “substantial” amount of the cast and crew did not know that the original script would be adjusted to fit the Daily Wire’s political message — and that several people walked off set when the changes were made.
He said: “I was sitting next to him when he got the phone call from his agent saying, you’re the good guy in this movie. There are protesters, they’re clashing with these guys and you’re just trying to protect your store and bring peace to everyone.”
Danny Trejo is set to star in ‘Pawn Shop’, a controversial film being produced by Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire (AFP/Getty)
In reality, the film follows an ICE officer, played by Jesse Ray Gentry, who is barricaded inside Trejo’s character’s pawn shop during an altercation with protesters after Good’s shooting. The movie, which is slated for a 2027 release, is directed by Michael Polish and also stars Harvey Keitel and Henry Thomas.
The film has already been met with protests. Locals complained that they were not warned about the use of blank gunshots and other disturbances, and production was temporarily suspended until a new permit was issued.
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The Independent has contacted Danny, Shapiro, Daily Wire, and the film’s production company for comment.
Danny addressed his involvement in the film in an Instagram post earlier this month, stating: “Hey everyone. I want to address some social media comments about me. Make no mistake. I am a proud Mexican who has always been and will always be a supporter of my community. I am also obviously pro-immigrant. I am not pro ICE. I know where I come from and I know our struggles. I am an actor. My job is to tell a story. God bless you, Danny.”
Further, Gilbert says the movie’s messaging could not be further from the truth about his father’s political views.
Danny, known for his machismo, previously hit the campaign trail for Democratic politicians like Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom. He told IndieWire in 2020: “Like I said, I stay out of politics. I’ve got fans on both sides of the ticket. But I still speak my mind. I tell my Republican friends, ‘Hey, we don’t discuss politics or I’ll beat you.’”
Gilbert continued to The Independent: “I have conversations with friends all the time where they’re like, I don’t know how to talk to my Trumper parents. And I’m like, I cannot relate to that. I can’t relate to that because my dad is actively campaigning for Democratic candidates every election cycle.”
He described his father as often being “the only Mexican guy in the room,” Gilbert said, “which is one of the reasons why he’s sort of heartbroken to be framed as representing something he doesn’t. The idea that he doesn’t stand with or stand for his community is heartbreaking and depressing.”
To critics who have questioned why Danny did not pull out of the film and face the financial repercussions, Gilbert said: “People don’t know what goes into these contracts.”
‘People don’t know what goes into these contracts,’ Danny Trejo’s son told ‘The Independent’ (Getty)
“He’s very much a working actor,” he said, referencing Danny’s more than 450 acting credits on IMDb. “He works for a living. He has well-documented financial hardships and troubles. He’s not, as some people are saying on social media, a multimillionaire.”
Gilbert also addressed Danny’s previous work with The Daily Wire on an adult animated comedy series called Mr. Birchum. Danny lent his voice to one episode in 2024.
The younger Trejo said his father had known the show’s creator Adam Carolla for decades and agreed to the day gig without much conversation, unaware that Carolla “had made this giant right hand turn” and started speaking out in support of border enforcement.
“He’s not online,” Gilbert said of Danny. “My dad had a flip phone until about a year ago when they just stopped sending a signal to it and he had to get an iPhone.”
Thankfully, his dad has been largely spared from seeing the backlash and anger toward him on social media after being cast in Pawn Shop. But Gilbert says the anger is just an outpouring of the hatred brought on by Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
“People need a place to put their outrage because what’s going on is outrageous,” he said. “My entire family is upset about what is happening in our country right now with ICE. But getting mad at an 82 year old Mexican man is not the solution.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
