Danny Trejo Reveals the Sweet Reason Why He Gives His Personal Phone Number to Complete Strangers
Most Hollywood superstars wouldn’t hand out their personal phone number to a complete stranger. But then again, actor Danny Trejo isn’t like most Hollywood actors.
Trejo knows the demons of addiction can be overwhelming and how a strong support system is vital to getting through some of the darkest days. He’s been sober for more than 50 years, so when he meets someone who is struggling with addiction, even a total stranger, he doesn’t hesitate to offer support.
Actor Danny Trejo recalled recently meeting someone who struggled with addiction
During a live discussion on Addiction Talk, a show hosted by American Addiction Centers, Trejo recalled a recent instance that occurred only days earlier where he connected with someone who talked about their own addiction.
“I was on a film. I always look for God in everything, and I know he is there,” Trejo said. “And I went on a film, in Spokane, Washington. It’s zero degrees, it’s cold. And I ask, ‘OK, God, why you got me up here?'”
“So all of a sudden I run into this one guy and he says ‘Hey, I heard about you about 10 years ago, Dan,'” Trejo recalled. “‘I got eight years clean … And then I fell off. I’ve been using drinking for two years.'”
Danny told the man to call him any time for support
Trejo knew the question he asked God was being answered and he wanted to help the man.
“And I said, ‘Well, that’s why God got me here. I was wondering, and that’s just it,'” Trejo told the man. “We started talking. He said, ‘Dan, I’m going to use you for my inspiration.’ I said, ‘Use me wherever you want.’ You know what I mean? I gave him my phone number. I said, ‘Call me.’ He said, ‘Well, you know, if it was too late …’ I said, ‘Let me tell you something, Holmes. It’s never too late, man.'”
He told the man, “‘Anytime you feel like drinking, just call me. You know, we’ll talk and you know what? Even call me, even if your program don’t work, it’s OK. Just call me.'”
“That’s all. And just that little step, even to say something, it’s like you take away, the obsession to drink,” Trejo explained. “And man, I’ve talked to people till two o’clock, three o’clock, four o’clock in the morning, just like, how you feeling now? Yeah, I feel better.”
Why does Danny Trejo share his personal phone number?
Giving out his personal phone number to complete strangers may seem a little risky, especially for someone who is so high profile. But Trejo doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m not as big as some actors, but yeah, I give out my number. It’s written on some bathroom walls, I think!” he laughed. “But I get people calling me from the penitentiary and say, ‘Hey, Dan, I’m coming out.’ You know? ‘Good.'”
“Right now, Mario Castile, my assistant, he was working with lifers,” Trejo added. “So right now we’re both working with all the guys getting out of the pen that have done 30 years, 35 years. Because once you’ve done that, it’s like your family’s gone. You have nobody, you come out to nothing, you know?”
