Actor Danny Trejo has said he is scared of going back to prison when asked about imposter syndrome in a new interview.
The Desperado star had a troubled younger life, as he was imprisoned for drug dealing and robbery in 1962 when he was just 21 years old.
He was busted after selling four ounces of heroin to an undercover agent and spent a total of 11 years behind bars.
In that time, Trejo endured prison riots, a solitary confinement and a near escape from death row.
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Recalling on his time in the prison, he said: "When you pull up to San Quentin, you see two lights up on the top of the North Block.
"You see a red light and a green light. If the red light is on, that means they’re killing someone. That’s the first thing you see, so you know this is a death house — people come in here and don’t come out."
You can see why Trejo wouldn't want to go back there, and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Trejo explains he worries about going back.
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After all his success in the industry, Trejo was asked if he gets imposter syndrome - he replied: "Every day. I’m afraid somebody’s going to wake me up and I’m back in prison: 'Dan, it’s time for chow. You were mumbling something in your sleep about Robert De Niro'.
"You know, I hear some actors complain on set. And I think: Have you ever tarred a roof in 90-degree weather? That’s work. This is playing cowboys and Indians."
Elsewhere in the interview, Trejo was asked when he realised his acting career was going to be a real job.
He replied: "It was on the set of Runaway Train. I met a friend, [screenwriter] Eddie Bunker, who was a friend of mine in prison.
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"He remembered I was the welter- weight champion in San Quentin. He said, 'Danny, are you still boxing?'
"'We need somebody to train one of the actors [Eric Roberts] how to box. It pays $320 a day.'
"I was working as a drug counsellor, making maybe $190, $220 a week before taxes.
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"So I asked: 'How badly you want this guy beat up?' From that moment on, my entire life changed. For the first years of my career, I was 'bad guy,' 'mean guy,' 'Chicano dude,' 'tattoo guy.' But I always made my $320 a day."
Topics: US News, Film and TV, Crime
Callum Jones