Although Danny Trejo’s infamous character Machete first appeared in 2001’s “Spy Kids”, the actor and his friend and frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez first thought of the character while on the set of Rodriguez’s 1995 film “Desperado.”

“I was walking around the set, which was this Mexican town, with out a shirt on and people were coming up to me and asking for pictures and autographs and such when Robert came over to me and said ‘They think you’re the star of the movie’ to which I said jokingly ‘Wait…I’m not?’ And that was when we had this idea for the Machete character,” Trejo said.  We didn’t know where he could put him, and so when Robert made ‘Spy Kids’ we threw uncle Machete in there.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Uncle Machete appeared in all three of the original “Spy Kids” films as well as “Spy Kids 4”, but it was not until 2007’s “Grindhouse” that the character as audiences have come to know and love came to be.  Between Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Death Proof” were five fake trailers.  “Machete” was one of them.

“We made the ‘Machete’ trailer to finally show the character as we imagined him and when we came out, people loved it and wanted to know when it was actually going to be made into a movie,” Trejo said.

“Machete”, which was released in 2010, was Trejo’s first leading role.  The film-a parody of Mexploiatation (Mexican Exploitation) films- had a distinct throwback feel akin to the grindhouse pictures released in the 1970’s.  Made for a $10.5 budget, the film made a whopping $44 million worldwide, and not one, but two, sequels were green lit.

“Robert started writing the sequel maybe a week after the first film was released,” Trejo said.  “There was about two years of pre-production, and then we started shooting “Mechete Kills” in June of last year.

The first of those sequels is the upcoming “Machete Kills.”  The film follows the titular character and ex-federale after he is recruited by the President of the United States to prevent an arms dealer and Mexican Revolutionary from causing a World War.  The film’s cast is outstanding, and includes Charlie Sheen (going for the first time by his birth name Carlos Estevez) as the President, Amber Heard (“Drive Angry 3-D”) as Miss San Antonio, Mel Gibson (“Braveheart”) as Luther Voz, Sofia Vergara (ABC’s “Modern Family) as Madame Desdemona, and Demian Bichir (F.X.’s “The Bridge) as Mendez the Madman.

“The cast is amazing,” Trejo said.  “Robert manages to get all of these big name starts and I honestly have no idea how he does it.”

Trejo has nothing but high praise for all of his cast mates, but specifically, he glowed about the chance to work with Sheen.

“Charlie is one of the most professional actors I have ever had the chance to work with.  He shows up on set every day, does his thing, takes his feedback, and is ready to go for the next take.   He was an absolute pleasure to work with,” Trejo said.  “Some actors have to be scene stealers and make every scene about them, whether it be talking while you’re talking or flicking a lighter for attention, but Charlie never did any of that.  He was the exact opposite I would say, and working with him was incredibly fun.”

Also starring in the film is Alexa Vega, who played Carmen Cortez in the first three “Spy Kids” films.  Vega, now 25, plays KillJoy, a scantly clad working girl at Madame Desdemona’s brothel who is under strict orders to kill Machete.

“Watching her grow up has been an honor,” Trejo said.  “And it was funny, on the first day of shooting the film with her, I was almost in shock.  I felt like a dad seeing his daughter in a bikini for the first time and almost wanted to tell her to cover up.  But she’s incredibly confident in herself and she’s a really talented actress and I think she did a great job with the part.”

Besides the upcoming release of the film, Trejo is involved with a maze at Universal Studios Hollywood’s upcoming Hollywood Horror Nights, their annual Halloween event.  Trejo is helping them create a maze based off of El Cucuy, the Mexican legend of The Boogeyman. Trejo narrates the maze.

“It’s been a really great experience,” Trejo said.  “I get to help them bring this idea that’s terrified people to life in an incredibly unique way.  It’s been an honor and true privilege to work with those guys.”

He is also currently working on a sitcom with George Lopez set to air in January on FX.  Trejo said that is amazes him that the character of Machete has reached the level of popularity it has and that he is honored to be a part of something so important to so many people.

“I look in the mirror everyday and think about how lucky I am to play this character and be involved in something this big,” Trejo said.  “I love doing big films, but I love doing smaller films that are either independent or student films as well.  I’m just blessed that I get to act for a living.”

“Machete Kills” hits theatres on Oct. 11.

-Guest post by Shane Weinstein.  Shane is currently a freshman in the film program at Arizona State University, where he spends his time eating, sleeping, writing,  and watching movies.  To read more of his work, check out the A&E page on www.statepress.com. Contact this reporter at: seweinst@asu.edu or on Twitter: @S_Weinstein95