Danny Trejo’s Son Says Actor Didn’t Know Ben Shapiro Was Behind ‘Pawn Shop’ Movie

By Star Struck Times | October 14, 2026

Key points

• Danny Trejo’s son, Gilbert Trejo, says the actor had never heard of Ben Shapiro before joining Pawn Shop and learned about Shapiro’s involvement roughly two weeks into filming.
• The casting sparked criticism because the film, produced by Shapiro’s Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend, focuses on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
• Danny Trejo has publicly said he is pro-immigrant but not pro-ICE, explaining that his job is to tell a story.
• The controversy raises a distinction between an actor accepting a role and endorsing the politics associated with a film.

LOS ANGELES, October 14, 2026 — Danny Trejo’s involvement in Pawn Shop, an upcoming film produced by Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire, has drawn renewed attention after his son, Gilbert Trejo, said the veteran actor was unaware of Shapiro’s involvement when he accepted the role. The comments, reported by Variety on October 13, add context to the backlash facing the 82-year-old actor over his participation in the ICE-focused production.

Gilbert Trejo shared his account in an Instagram Story, saying that his father had “never heard” of Shapiro and that the cast learned about the conservative commentator’s involvement only after filming had been underway for about two weeks, according to Variety. Gilbert also suggested that contractual obligations limited his father’s ability to speak negatively about the project. Those statements represent the son’s account; the contract terms have not been independently established here.

The comments come after Trejo faced criticism from some viewers who questioned his decision to appear in a film associated with a politically contentious portrayal of immigration enforcement.

What Danny Trejo has said about the controversy

Trejo addressed the criticism in a public statement shared on Instagram on October 9, according to the Los Angeles Times. He described himself as a supporter of his community and of immigrants, while making clear that appearing in a film should not be taken as an endorsement of ICE.

“I am a proud Mexican who has always been and will always be a supporter of my community,” Trejo wrote, adding that he was “obviously pro-immigrant” and “not pro ICE.” He also said, “I am an actor. My job is to tell a story.”

His response offers an important distinction in the debate: an actor’s participation in a production does not necessarily establish agreement with the political message audiences associate with it. In Trejo’s case, his own public statement directly addresses that distinction, although viewers remain free to debate the implications of taking the role.

Why ‘Pawn Shop’ has attracted controversy

Pawn Shop is a feature film produced by the Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend. The story centers on an ICE agent caught in a violent confrontation involving protesters and others at a pawn shop. Reporting by the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian has connected the film’s premise and some of its scenes to the fatal shooting of Renée Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. The production has drawn scrutiny over both its subject matter and its filming arrangements in Livingston, Montana.

The filming dispute became a separate source of controversy. Livingston residents raised concerns about street closures, communication with local businesses and the use of simulated gunfire. The city temporarily suspended the production’s permits before officials reinstated them, allowing filming to resume. The Daily Wire disputed the suggestion that the production should have been stopped for political reasons.

The production’s political associations have therefore become part of the public conversation about the film, beyond the performances themselves. Trejo’s casting has drawn particular attention because of his longstanding screen presence and his public identification with the Mexican American community.

What the controversy tells us about Trejo’s role

The latest comments from Gilbert Trejo add a new element to an already public dispute, but they do not settle every question surrounding the actor’s decision to join the project. His son’s account describes how the family understands the circumstances of the casting; Trejo’s own statement explains how he views his professional role and personal position on immigration.

For readers trying to separate confirmed information from online speculation, those are two different things. Trejo has publicly rejected the idea that his participation makes him pro-ICE. The claim that he was unfamiliar with Shapiro before signing on comes from his son, as reported by Variety, rather than from an independently verified account of the contract or casting process.

The Daily Wire announced that filming had wrapped in Montana in an October 9 report, meaning the debate now concerns a completed production rather than an ongoing local shoot. The film’s release date and its eventual reception remain separate questions.

For now, Pawn Shop has become a case study in how a film’s producers, subject matter and public associations can shape the response to an actor’s casting. Trejo has made his own position clear; the additional explanation from his son helps clarify the family’s account without resolving every question surrounding the project.