ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to Seven Cemeteries star Danny Trejo about the horror comedy movie. The icon discussed his appreciation for life, filming Seven Cemeteries, and working with co-stars like Efren Ramirez. From Quiver Distribution, it is now available on digital and on demand.
“A recent parolee (Danny Trejo) gets a Mexican witch to resurrect his old posse so that they can help him save a woman’s ranch from a ruthless drug lord,” says the synopsis for Seven Cemeteries.
Tyler Treese: Danny, your character is Santana Bravo. You got five minutes off a 41-year sentence for good behavior. What did you like most about this character? It’s a fun one for you.
Danny Trejo: He comes out of the joint, and he dies, getting set for revenge. Then him and that bruja, that witch, they plot to get even. It’s an exciting movie. I loved it because there was enough laughter to kind of meld together with the scary stuff, you know what I mean? So it wasn’t just an Exorcist movie. There was some comedy in it. There were some funny parts in it.
Your co-star Efren Ramirez is really great in the film. How was it working with him?
It was cool. Everybody, the whole cast, kind of gelled together. I’ve worked with him before. I’ve worked with Lew [Temple] before, and it was kind of a friendly old homie.
My son Gilbert, he played me as a young kid, and it was funny because I got that big tattoo on my chest, right? So they put it on him and he was like, “You are an idiot,” because the tattoo covered my whole chest. “You are an idiot, Dad.”
That’s so special that your son was involved. Uh, how was it sharing that experience with him?
I’d been taking him to movie sets, I’m a single dad, so I was taking him anytime I couldn’t find a sitter. My daughter, same thing. She’s in production. My son, I kept trying to get him in to be an actor. Secretly, he talked to the camera guy and talked to the lighting and makeup. So by the time we did Machete, he was with Robert all day talking. Robert stuck him in the movie Machete and told me, “You know what, your kid should take that director’s test because he’s been schooling me.” He went and took his test, and he’s in the DGA now, so he was the second unit on this.
You actually voiced a character, Dwight Mendez, in my favorite video game this year, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, for Sega. They got your likeness in that game too. It has to be pretty cool seeing a digital version of yourself be that detailed.
It’s so weird. You know what, I’ve done a few of those and like, I’ll have kids, 10, come up and go, “Hey, I’m gonna get you. I’m gonna get you this time.” I go, “What?” [They reply,] “You killed me the last time!”
You’re basically a living icon at this point, and you’ve always shown such gratitude towards your fans and other people. Can you speak to that positive attitude? Because everybody I’ve talked to who has worked with you always says that you just draw them in with that positivity.
I think if every actor spent at least like five years in the pen, when they got out, they would be so grateful for doing this. I’ve been out of the pen 50 years now, and I still ain’t lost my gratitude, you know what I mean? It is almost like the good Lord has given me this unbelievable gig.
I remember we were doing a movie called The Ridiculous 6 with Adam Sandler. Nick Nolte needed one of them little respirators. He comes in, and we’re sitting in a tent, and he comes in, he goes, “You old guys. Aren’t you guys tired of doing this yet?” Nolte goes, “Tired of what? We’re playing cowboys.” I thought you are right. You know what I mean? It’s just fun and games.
Another time, I was doing a film called Bad Asses on the Bayou. I was doing it with Danny Glover, and we were inside upstairs, and it started to rain. We saw this construction crew trying to get out of the rain. There’s one guy there, he’s about 65, he’s sweeping real quick, trying to get some of the water out. Danny Glover looks and says, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” I [gasped] because that’s my favorite saying. When I see somebody really mixing cement or something because I’ve done it, I just get so grateful for what I do, and I happen to love what I do.
Thanks to Danny Trejo for talking about Seven Cemeteries.
