‘Breaking Bad’ Villain Danny Trejo Saved a Baby From an Overturned Car
Danny Trejo is known for playing Tough Dudes with a capital T and D. He’s got a look that comes across as menacing. Casting directors love to put him in the role of the heavy.
But to judge Trejo based on his looks and parts alone is to sell the man short. Off-camera, he’s much more nuanced and complicated than the tough guy persona he portrays.
Trejo got the chance to show this with one incident where he saved a young child’s life. Let’s take a closer look at Trejo the man and also how he answered the call of a baby in need.
Danny Trejo’s life before acting
Trejo’s life before acting was difficult. According to an interview the actor conducted with The HuffPost, his life involved crime, drugs, and alcohol. Trejo said his first step in reforming was to embrace prayer, saying:
“I said ‘God, if you’re there, then it’s going to be alright…And if you’re not, I’m screwed.’ And that was my prayer. I’ve never forgotten it. And that was just a complete turning point in my life.”
From there, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous and got sober. A 1985 film production called Runaway Train hired Trejo as an advisor for the actors in the film. He’d later get hired to train actor Eric Roberts. This represented the beginning of a new path for Trejo.
Danny Trejo’s second act as an actor
While Trejo has true criminal credentials, he found that a much better way to live was to play one in the movies. Trejo is one of the most recognizable villains and tough guys in Hollywood. He’s often cast in the films of Robert Rodriguez, even getting an opportunity to play the action hero Machete across several productions.
According to IMDb, Trejo has 402 acting credits to his name. That’s not bad for an ex-con.
While he’s often cast as the heel, Trejo has shown great versatility as well. He’s a talented voice actor and is often cast in comedies to parody his role as a frequent bad guy. For example, he starred in 2020’s The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run.
Trejo may have a great career as an actor, but he’s shown that he’s changed his ways offscreen as well as onscreen. He’s also quite the Good Samaritan in real life.
How Danny Trejo saved a baby’s life
In 2019, CNN reported that Trejo witnessed an auto accident between two vehicles. One of the cars flipped over, and horrifically, it contained a baby.
As soon as Trejo saw the incident occur, he sprung into action. He broke a window to gain access to the child along with another witness named Monica Jackson. They weren’t able to unhook the seatbelt at first. Eventually, they were able to pry the baby out. The child was unharmed.
Trejo spoke with a photographer at the scene of the accident, noting that the child was lucky to be in the proper apparatus:
“The only thing that saved the little kid was his car seat.”
Three people involved in the accident were taken to the hospital for further medical attention, though luckily, no one had life-threatening injuries. Trejo played a big role in ensuring the safety of the child. He’d later tell reporters that he was just doing what he always did: try to help people.
“Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else…Everything.”
Trejo may delight in playing the bad guy on camera, but there’s little doubt that in real life, he’s one of the good guys.
