Danny Trejo's Son Says Actor Did Not Know Ben Shapiro When He Joined Pawn Shop
Danny Trejo took the role in Pawn Shop without knowing who Ben Shapiro was, his son Gilbert Trejo says.
Gilbert publicly defended his 82-year-old father amid backlash over the Daily Wire film, saying Danny had not heard of Shapiro until about two weeks into the shoot, according to Deadline.
Gilbert said he had to explain to his father who Shapiro is and what kind of guy he is. He conveyed that account in writing, as reported by HuffPost. He is 82.
The part had been pitched in simpler terms, Gilbert said. Danny's agent described Pawn Shop as a complicated story in which Danny would play a hardworking Mexican shop owner who just wants peace, according to Deadline.
Gilbert said his father is now handcuffed to the project. He called it "this stupid project" and said Danny contractually cannot bad-mouth the film or walk away without being sued for breach of contract, which means breaking a signed deal.
He added that swaths of people have instantly turned their back on Danny without knowing any of the facts, as quoted by Yahoo News. The comment came after days of criticism online over Danny's involvement.
Danny himself has responded to that criticism. He stated that he is pro-immigrant and not pro-ICE, according to Deadline.
Pawn Shop is a Daily Wire movie from Shapiro's production company, as reported by Variety. It is a Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend production described as a pro-ICE film dramatising the killing of Renee Good.
The cast includes Myles Clohessy, Danny Trejo and Harvey Keitel, with Michael Polish serving as director, according to Variety. Daily Wire later named Henry Thomas, CJ Salvador and Noel Guglielmi among the cast.
Production stopped and then started again. Shapiro's Pawn Shop restarted production after a shutdown, Variety reported on 7 October 2026.
Daily Wire reported on 10 October 2026 that it had wrapped filming in Montana, according to the Daily Wire. The company characterised the interruption as a leftist shutdown attempt.
What makes this stand out for general viewers is the gap between the hiring pitch and the finished-film row. One side describes a working actor taking a shop-owner part. The other sees a political film with a clear viewpoint.
