Danny Trejo has broken his silence amid backlash over his role in Daily Wire’s latest controversial production, Pawnbroker.
The Los Angeles-born Mexican-American actor insisted on Friday that he was “pro-immigration,” despite his casting in Ben Shapiro’s production company’s pro-ICE film and Dallas Sonnier’s Bonfire Legend, which sparked protests from residents of Livingston, Mont., where filming is underway.
“Hey everyone. I want to respond to some comments about me on social media,” Trejo wrote in a statement on social media. “Make no mistake. I am a proud Mexican who has always been and always will be a supporter of my community. I am also obviously pro-immigration. 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.”
The actor’s statement comes after production was temporarily suspended last weekend, resuming with a revised filming permit Tuesday, requiring the crew to ensure pantry access for residents of the Livingston Food Resource Center and protect the public from both filming violent scenes, as well as noise. The production also agreed to address backlash over the use of private security by ensuring there would be no policing or harassment of residents on nearby public streets.
Shapiro denounced the suspension as “a violation of the First Amendment,” calling the film’s critics “censorious morons” who oppose free speech.
Since filming began, residents have protested the alleged use of blank shots, pyrotechnics and a staged car crash without properly informing residents and businesses, as well as the opening scene, which appears to dramatize the fatal shooting of Renée Good by ICE in Minnesota in January.
With Rust With producer Carter Boehm part of the production team, Bonfire Legend and Daily Wire’s latest collaboration comes after their last film, Run Hide Fight: Infidelswas picketed by IATSE. Several crew members left filming due to work issues in South Carolina, shortly before Jonathan Majors was involved in an on-set accident that left his co-star JC Kilcoyne needing stitches “all over his hands” after falling through a window.
Deadline has confirmed that Pawn Shop production is also not under IATSE contract, while it is under “conditional start” with SAG-AFTRA.
The summary of Pawnbroker It reads: “When chaos hits the streets of Minneapolis, a young federal agent finds himself alone after his partner is seriously injured and must find a way to survive an increasingly dangerous situation. Seeking refuge at a neighborhood pawn shop, he finds himself stuck with a traditional Hispanic father and his progressive college-aged son, forcing three very different men to confront fear, conflicting beliefs and a crisis that tests their courage and humanity.”
Besides Trejo, the cast includes Harvey Keitel and Henry Thomas.
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