Danny Trejo Revealed Why John Cusack Is The One Actor Who Scares Him
Dany Trejo has been through the best and worst of times over the years. From a rough and tumble childhood to an adolescent alcohol and drug dependency to time spent in prison, he’s faced down real fear and some tough characters and managed to live to talk about it. But there’s one familiar Hollywood face who scares the actor just as much as life on the streets used to — John Cusack, of “Say Anything…” fame. The two worked together on “Con Air,” and apparently Cusack made quite the impression on Trejo.
The story comes from an episode of How Did This Get Made, a podcast that explores Hollywood’s biggest flops. Co-host Paul Scheer recalled the story during Episode 305. “When we had Danny Trejo on the show here (Episode 38), he said the most dangerous person that he encountered on that ‘Con Air’ plane was John Cusack,'” Scheer recounted for his co-hosts. “He said, ‘That’s the person I’m most afraid of … because when you look in his eyes, he’s got something that’s crazy in there, and I don’t trust it.”
While it might seem like a far-fetched story, it’s one Trejo backed up in a separate interview, proving that John Cusack just might be the kind of guy you don’t want to mess with.
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Watch out for John Cusack
Danny Trejo is more than willing to confirm that John Cusack is a pretty tough guy offscreen. Speaking with Comicbook.com, Trejo was happy to reveal that Cusack can kickbox with speed, power, and accuracy. “You’re not gonna believe this, but, trying to think of his name now. Who was the guy in ‘Con Air’ […] John Cusack was trained by Benny ‘The Jet’ [Urquidez, a professional kickboxer and fight choreographer]. I watched John Cusack kick a bag, he’ll break your ribs,” Trejo said.
In addition to hyping up Cusack’s formidable skills, Trejo also praised his one-time co-star for his kindness along with Urquidez, who, according to Trejo, kept the “Machete” and “Spy Kids” star away from the other actors on the set because their physical feats of strength were turning into a contest that he knew Trejo would try to win. Trejo grew up with Mondo Urquidez, Benny’s brother, so the fighter apparently knew very well of the actor’s stubbornness. “I don’t play well with others, so he’d always pull me it off,” he recalled, “but Cusack is tough.” Cooperative or not, Trejo’s not afraid to admit it when he’s been bested.
If you’d like to know more about Trejo’s unexpectedly scary “Con Air” co-star, Looper breaks down everything you might not know about John Cusack.