Danny Trejo has been facing backlash for starring in an upcoming movie titled Pawn Shop.
The 82-year-old actor will reportedly play as the owner of the pawn shop in the movie, which is produced by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro‘s Daily Wire.
According to Deadline, the movie’s synopsis reads, “When chaos hits the streets of Minneapolis, a young federal agent is left alone after his partner is seriously hurt and must find a way to survive an increasingly dangerous situation. Seeking shelter inside a neighborhood pawn shop, he becomes trapped with a traditional Hispanic father and his progressive college-age son, forcing three very different men to confront fear, conflicting beliefs and a crisis that tests their courage and humanity.”
After Danny‘s casting was revealed, he immediately faced backlash for taking on a role in an alleged pro-ICE film from the conservative commentator’s company.
Danny has taken to social media to react to negative comments about him online regarding his new movie role. His son, Gilbert Trejo, has also spoken out to defend his father.
What Danny Trejo said about the backlash
Danny took to his Instagram to share a statement in response to the backlash, which you can read in full below.
What Danny Trejo’s son said about his father’s casting
Danny‘s son Gilbert recently took to his own Instagram story to defend his father, alleging that the actor was tricked into taking on the role.
“For anyone seeing this s*** with my dad…,” he prefaced, via Deadline. “He was booked on a film, it’s not pro-ice, it’s not overtly pro anything. His agent described it as ‘a complicated story about a complicated time, where everyone looks bad except you, the hardworking Mexican shop owner who just wants peace.’”
“He jumped at the idea of playing a good guy. About 2 weeks into shooting everyone, including us, found out Ben Shapiro was involved,” Gilbert continued. “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.”
He added that Danny cannot “contractually can’t bad mouth him, the film, or walk away without being sued for breach of contract,” and while he did release a statement, it wasn’t the one that he wanted to release.
“It’s f***ed up. He’s handcuffed to this stupid project, and swaths of people have instantly turned their back on him without knowing any of the facts. Ben Shapiro got Mexicans to abandon one of their heroes, got his own name to the top of google’s searches, and made us look like angry fools lacking any nuance. He wins.”
The film has come under fire since filming began in Montana, and has even had local protesters come out to set.
Earlier this month, production was shut down temporarily and resumed with a revised film permit. At the time, Ben Shapiro slammed the suspension, saying it was a “violation of the First Amendment” and calling the film’s critics “censorious jacka**es” who don’t like free speech.
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