Danny Trejo has broken his silence amid backlash over his role in The Daily Wire’s latest controversial production, pawn shop.
On Friday, the L.A.-born Mexican-American actor insisted he is “pro-immigrant” despite his casting in the pro-ICE film from Ben Shapiro’s production company and Dallas Sonnier’s Bonfire Legend, which has drawn protests from locals in Livingston, Montana, where filming is taking place.
“Hello everyone. I want to address some social media comments about me,” Trejo wrote 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 clearly pro-immigrant. I am not pro-ICE. I know where I come from and I know our struggles. I’m an actor. My job is to tell a story. God bless you, Danny.”
The actor’s statement comes after it was temporarily suspended last weekend, which resumed on Tuesday with an amended filming permit that required the crew to ensure access to the food pantry at the Livingston Food Resource Center and protect the public from shooting violent scenes as well as noise. The production also agreed to address the backlash over the use of private security, ensuring there would be no policing or harassment of locals on nearby public roads.
Shapiro condemned the suspension as a “violation of the First Amendment” and called the film’s critics “censor fools” who oppose free speech.
Since filming began, locals have protested the alleged use of blank bullets, pyrotechnics and a staged car wreck without properly informing residents and businesses, as well as its opening scene, which appears to dramatize the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota in January.
with War With producer Carter Boehm serving on the production team, the latest collaboration between Bonfire Legends and Daily Wire follows their last film, Run Hide Fight: InfidelsStrike organized by IATSE. Several members of the crew went over labor issues in South Carolina, shortly before Jonathan Majors was involved in an accident on the set, which resulted in his co-star Jesse Kilcoyne requiring stitches “over his entire arm” after falling from a window.
Deadline has confirmed that the production of Pawn Shop is not under IATSE contract, while it is under “conditional commencement” with SAG-AFTRA.
Summary for pawn shop Reads: “When chaos erupts on the streets of Minneapolis, a young federal agent is left alone after his partner is critically injured and must find a way to escape an increasingly dangerous situation. Seeking shelter inside a neighborhood pawn shop, he is trapped with a traditional Hispanic father and his progressive college-age son, leading three very different people to face fear, conflicting beliefs, and a crisis that will test their courage and Tests humanity.”
In addition to Trejo, the cast includes Harvey Keitel and Henry Thomas.