Students and visitors gathered at Fresno City College on Jan. 27 when actor Danny Trejo visited campus to speak about his life, career and personal journey.

Known for his roles in films such as “Machete” and “Spy Kids,” Trejo spoke to students about overcoming addiction, making positive choices and finding purpose in helping other people recover from addiction.

The event drew a large crowd of students, staff and members of the community excited to hear Trejo’s story in person as he shared experiences from his childhood, time before acting and how his life led him into Hollywood.

Once the OAB auditorium was at full capacity, audience members were redirected to a remote viewing area to watch a livestream of the event.

Trejo expressed that he doesn’t think his current day-to-day life is difficult, considering the things he’s experienced in the past.

Trejo described growing up surrounded by alcohol and drug use and explained how addiction seemed normal to him at a young age.

“You wouldn’t want to go to a family gathering without alcohol,” Trejo said.

Because substance use was normalized growing up, he began smoking and drinking frequently as a teenager and continued into adulthood.

“I chased being 12 years old with no worries until I was 24,” Trejo said.

Trejo spoke about how his drug use led him to jail. 

“You do drugs, you go to jail. It was like physics,” Trejo said.

Actor Danny Trejo speaking to students in the Old Administration Building at Fresno City College on Jan. 27. (Photo by: Joel Arellano)

During imprisonment, Trejo discovered boxing and faith, which became a turning point in his life.

Trejo noticed the importance of helping others as a path of recovery and personal fulfillment.

After his release in 1969, he committed to sobriety and has now been sober for 54 years.

Trejo’s acting career began in 1985 after he went to a film set to help someone seeking sobriety and was offered a small role. He later became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable latino actors.

He appears in more than 500 films and television projects, including “Desperado,” “Heat,” “From Dusk Till Dawn” and the “Spy Kids“ franchise, where he got a main role as “Isador ‘Machete’ Cortez.”

“Everything good happens as a result of helping someone else,” Trejo said. “Once I gave up drugs and started helping people, life got so good.”

Outside of acting, Trejo works as a substance abuse counselor and advocates for recovery programs.

FCC President Whisenhunt introduced a counselor from the rising scholars program to the audience who presented Trejo with a t-shirt and mug.

Audience member Presley Salas said Trejo’s message was relevant to students.

Salas explained that substance use is often normalized among young people and that Trejo helped highlight how everyday drinking can quietly turn into addiction.

“Once you start drinking every day, it can really turn your life upside down, and I think it’s important for people to recognize they have a problem and I think he pointed that out really well,” Salas said.

Trejo concluded his message by encouraging students to pursue their goals and learn from mistakes.

“It’s better to shoot for the moon and miss than to shoot for nothing,” Trejo said.