FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — You may know him as Machete but on Tuesday, actor Danny Trejo skipped bombastic fights and explosions, as he sat down for a conversation in the Central Valley.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles native took part in the Fresno City College Speakers Forum earlier today.<\/p>\n
Trejo talked about how he spent much of his young adult life battling addiction and serving time behind bars.<\/p>\n
While in prison, he would become a championship boxer and eventually get clean after finding faith.<\/p>\n
Trejo set out to help others stay sober and helping a client is what landed him on the set of the film Runaway Train.<\/p>\n
“This guy said ‘Do you want to be in this movie?’ I say ‘what do I gotta do?’ He says ‘Wanna be an extra?’ I said ‘extra what?,’ Trejo recalled as the crowd laughed. “He says, ‘can you act like a convict?’ San Quentin, Folsom, Soledad, Vacaville, I said I’ll give it a shot, I couldn’t believe it.”<\/p>\n
Trejo now has more than 500 acting credits to his name and even opened a Taco Shop and Cantina.<\/p>\n
We spoke to one student who made sure to be seated for the forum.<\/p>\n
“I couldn’t believe he was coming to my college,” Fresno City College student Moises Samberano said. “I’m excited to meet him and take pictures.”<\/p>\n
A Fresno City College staff member shared her close connection to Trejo.<\/p>\n
The actor and her uncle became close friends as they advocated for addiction recovery.<\/p>\n
She’s now the college’s dedicated counselor for their drug and alcohol program.<\/p>\n
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