Actor Danny Trejo broke his silence Friday on the backlash over his role in a Daily Wire thriller being filmed under the working title “Pawn Shop,” saying he is “not pro-ICE.”
“I am a proud Mexican who has always been and will always be a supporter of my community,” Mr. Trejo told TMZ. “I am also obviously pro-immigrant. I am not pro-ICE.”
He added: “I know where I come from and I know our struggles. I am an actor. My job is to tell a story.” Mr. Trejo posted similar remarks on social media. His representatives had no comment beyond the statement, TMZ reported.
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The film is produced by Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire and Dallas Sonnier’s Bonfire Legend, TheWrap reported. Sources connected to the production told TMZ that Mr. Trejo plays a military veteran who owns the pawn shop, and that Harvey Keitel plays a fellow veteran whom Mr. Trejo’s character hires as a security guard. One production source told TMZ that Mr. Trejo said on set he was drawn to the role because it is a positive depiction of a Latino character and a veteran.
The production has drawn scrutiny beyond Mr. Trejo’s casting. Footage obtained by TMZ from the set appeared to depict a dramatized version of the fatal January shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
In Livingston, Montana, where the movie is being shot, city officials temporarily suspended the filming permit after residents complained about road closures, blank gunfire and disruptions to a local food bank. The City Commission voted unanimously Monday to reinstate the permit, the AP reported. Producers pledged to keep the food pantry accessible, rein in private security and continue notifying neighbors. Complex reported that the reinstatement also came with ground rules on noise and violent scenes. Filming resumed Tuesday.
Mr. Shapiro called the shutdown “content discrimination” and “a violation of the First Amendment.” The city attorney said the commission’s question was whether the production had violated its permit, not the content of the film, according to the AP. The shoot was scheduled to wrap Saturday.
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