Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast - Danny Trejo Tried To Warn Them - The Story of American Me

Episode Date: February 19, 2026

In 1992, the movie American Me directed by Edward James Olmos portrayed a fictionalized rise of a Mexican Mafia leader inside California’s prison system, aiming to expose the brutality and cyclical violence of gang culture. But its stark realism angered members of the real Mexican Mafia, who reportedly saw it as a humiliating portrayal. After the film’s release, several people connected to the production, including consultant Ana Lizarraga, were murdered in what many believed were acts of retaliation. Danny Trejo, who appeared in the film and had real-life prison experience, later revealed that he warned Olmos during production that certain scenes could provoke serious backlash from gang leadership, and he has spoken publicly about the tension and fear surrounding the fallout.

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That's cool, then. Marvel Studios, Thunderbolts, the New Avengers, rated PG-13. Now streaming on, you guessed it, Disney Plus. You know that actor Danny Trejo? Well, he once turned down a movie role and that movie ultimately got some people killed. Now this story actually starts with this guy, Edward. And Edward is 44 when all this begins and he's living in Los Angeles

and bro is an actor. You've probably seen him in Blade Runner and Battlestar Galactica. At one point he gets nominated for an Oscar for his role in the movie Stand and Deliver, which makes his career blow up. But one day in 199, Edward gets the opportunity of a lifetime. Because a movie studio offers him a chance to direct and star in the lead role of his own movie. And this is great news for Edward.

So he gets to think it. He really wants to make some sort of mafia movie, like The Godfather or Goodfellas, something people will love. And ultimately, he decides to make his movie based on a true story of the Mexican mafia. The movie will eventually be called American Me. And since Edward's movie is based on a true story, he wants everything to be legit. So he takes the extra step to hire actors and consultants who personally know or have worked with the Mexican Mafia. One of those actors that Edward tries to hire is this guy, Danny Trejo. Now Danny, he's a really interesting guy.

Up to this point in the story, he spent most of his adult life in prison. for all kinds of things, dealing drugs and stabbing a guy in the face, and at one point he was charged with attempted murder and was facing the death penalty. But after he got out of prison, he got clean, he got sober, and he turned his life around and got into acting. And you've probably seen him in a million different movies and TV shows. Machetee, Breaking Bad, he's been in all kinds of things. But at the time Edward tries to hire him for his movie American Me,

Remember, it's still 1991. So Danny is somewhat new to acting at this point, and he isn't really famous yet. Regardless, Edward knows Danny is the real deal. He knows Danny is friendly with a lot of real members of the Mexican mafia, because, you know, he was in prison with a lot of them. So Edward sends Danny the script to American Me to get him to be in it. And Danny reads this script, and immediately he's like, oh, hell no, I am not going to be in this movie.

because there's a big problem. The movie is supposed to be a true story about the two heads of the Mexican Mafia gang. However, Edward's script has taken some artistic liberties with the story. For example, there are major events in the script that didn't happen in real life, including one of the top members of the Mexican Mafia getting essayed by another male while locked up in Juvenile Hall. And Danny knows the real members of this gang, they're not going to like this. They'll see this as a sign of disrespect. Not only that, he knows that all of the members of that gang have taken an oath to seek

revenge on anyone who disrespects them, which means that this script is probably going to get some people killed. So Danny agrees to meet with Edward to talk to him about this script. I mean, he's got to tell him how dangerous it is to make this movie. So they meet up at a local deli. And when Edward walks into the place, he's suddenly dressed like a cholo, because I guess this is some form of method acting. And Danny, like, cringes because he knows he's really a rich Hollywood actor with no prison or gang experience at all. And so now it is very apparent to Danny that this guy has no idea how serious this all is.

And he tries to warn him, Edward, you can't do this. You can't base this movie on real gangsters and then disrespect them by adding SA scenes. that didn't happen in real life. And Edward's like, but it's more theatrical this way, so I took some artistic liberties. And Danny's like, Artistic liberties, this is the Mexican Mafia. They'll kill you. But see, Edward, he ain't trying to hear all that. I mean, movies based on true stories take artistic liberties all the time, and he wants his movie to be good.

So Danny warns him again, you need permission from the top, go to the head of the Mexican mafia, and get the okay. And for whatever reason, Edward then tells him, I did. I met with Peg Leg and he gave me the okay. Of course, he didn't meet with Peg Leg or anyone. No one gave him the okay. He just said that.

Now, later that night, Danny, he's at home and he has serious doubts about the Mexican Mafia giving Edward the okay. Then his phone rings. And on the other end of the line is this guy, Pegleg. And Pegleg, he's the head of the Mexican Marquis. mafia and one of the guys, Edward's movie, is based on. Now, Pegleg is also calling from prison. And even though he's locked up, he's already heard about the movie Edward is making about

him and his gang, and he doesn't seem happy about it at all. He's like, I hear you're in that movie. And Danny's like, no, I'm not doing that movie out of respect for you and your gang. And then Danny asks him, did Edward get permission from you? He says he did. And Pegleg's like, absolutely. not. That script is bullshed. So just as Danny suspected, Edward had straight up lied to him about getting permission from the top. And now, the Mexican Mafia gang is watching Edwards' every move.

Regardless, Edward moves forward and he starts filming his movie. He even hires former gang members as consultants and extras on set. One of the consultants he hires is this woman, Anna. And Anna is an ex-gang. member who is now an anti-gang activist, who spends her time trying to help kids and stop them from joining gangs. So Edward hires her to consult about the authenticity of the way the gangs in his movie are portrayed and stuff like that. And he even gives her a small part in his movie. And so anyway, months pass, and it's now 1992. And the movie is completely finished filming. And it's all edited together.

And Edward, he's all excited to finally show the world his master. And so American Me comes to theaters, and unfortunately, it's hardly noticed by audiences. Like, it doesn't perform well. But it does, however, get the full attention of the Mexican mafia. They watch this movie and they see some of the scenes where Edward took his artistic liberties, including the scene of the head of the mafia getting essayed and a scene of his mom getting essayed, and a scene where the head of the mafia gets murdered by his own gang. All things that didn't actually happen in real life, and all things that they find highly

offensive. And so these guys get super pissed off, and they now want revenge. Two months later, Anna, the gang consultant on the movie, is standing in her driveway with her son, when suddenly, boom, two masked gang members appear out of nowhere, and blam, blam, blam, blam, Blam! They shoot her 13 times, and then they flee the scene. Oh, but the Mexican mafia doesn't stop there. Around the same time, they gunned down another ex-gang member, who was a consultant and an extra in the movie, and then another, and then another, and they don't stop. According to Danny Trejo, as many as 10 people are murdered for their involvement in this movie. And during all this, I assume Edward is panicking and fearing for his life because who wouldn't be?

And now from here, allegedly, members of the Mexican mafia start stalking him and they start extorting him. And over the next three years, they demand that he pay them money and they also demand property from him. Although we don't know how much money they demanded or what property. And I guess ultimately he gives them what they want because, you know, when all is said and done, Edward actually doesn't end up getting murdered. So good for him.