Do You Remember ‘Mysteries Unearthed’ Star Danny Trejo’s First Role?
What To Know
- Danny Trejo’s first film role came by accident in 1985 on the set of Runaway Train, where he was initially hired as an extra and then given a small speaking part due to his boxing skills and real-life experience as a convict.
- Runaway Train, starring Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, not only earned both actors Oscar nominations but also launched Trejo’s long and successful acting career.
- Trejo now hosts Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo on The History Channel, with its second season premiering November 11, 2025, exploring hidden artifacts and secret histories around the world.
Danny Trejo, whose History Channel series Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo premieres its second season on November 11, 2025, at 10pm ET, is known today for playing some of Hollywood’s toughest characters. But his first job in film came about by accident. In 1985, he was working as a drug counselor when one of his clients asked him to visit a movie set. That set was Runaway Train, starring Jon Voight and Eric Roberts.
In a Facebook Reel, Trejo recalled walking on to the set of the film, and “This guy said, ‘Hey, you want to be in this movie? You want to be an extra?'” Trejo was asked if he could act like a convict — which was easy, because Trejo had served time in prison himself, due to armed robbery and drugs. “They were going to give me $50 a day to act like a convict,” the actor recalled. “And me and Eddie [Bunker, who co-wrote and appeared in the film] laughed, because we’d been doing that for free forever!”
Director Andrei Konchalovsky was impressed with his boxing and gave Trejo a small speaking role as “Boxer.” It was his first time on camera, and it marked the beginning of his long acting career. Konchalovsky told him that the pay was $320 per day and he might get punched during training. Trejo said, according to the Hollywood Reporter, “I said for $320, give him a stick! Are you crazy? I’ve been beat up for free, holmes.”
Everett Collection
Runaway Train follows two escaped convicts, Manny (Voight) and Buck (Roberts), trapped on a speeding train in the Alaskan wilderness. The film was based on a story by Akira Kurosawa. Both Voight and Roberts earned Oscar nominations for their portrayals. Not many realize that it was also the launching pad for Trejo and his long successful career.
Now, Trejo is taking that same curiosity into a different kind of storytelling with his History Channel series Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo. The show explores hidden artifacts, secret military projects and more buried around the world. Trejo said he has always been fascinated by history and sees the series as a way to share that excitement. The second season premieres Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 10pm ET on The History Channel.
Remind 