Danny Trejo is notorious for playing badass. characters, such as a vampire in the 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn. “This is full circle,” says the 80-year-old Sons of Anarchy actor, with his signature raspy laugh, about hosting Mysteries Unearthed, a TV show on uncovering buried mysteries.
Premiering Friday, December 6 on History Channel, each intriguing hour of this eight-part series has a theme, like “chamber of secrets,” which digs up everything from forgotten tombs (you’ll see the inspiration for a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark!) to an ancient city’s priceless treasure trove. Trejo gives us more dirt.
Which buried find impressed you the most?
Danny Trejo: I love it when they discover anything — a flag from the Civil War, old stamps, letters. It’s my first time [hosting for History] and I’m so excited because the only thing I watch is the news, sports, or a history program.
What’s the secret to a great history show?
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Make it interesting. My history teacher, Mrs. Finley, at Elysian Heights Grammar School in [Los Angeles], she made everything interesting. I wasn’t a good student. I got in a lot of trouble. I went to prison, all that stuff. But I’ve never forgotten the stuff she taught me; 50 years later, I was doing a film, Anaconda, and we were on the Amazon River. Ice Cube, J. Lo, Eric Stoltz, and Jon Voight were asking questions. I knew all the answers. I felt very proud.
Who impresses you as a host?
William Shatner. I love The UnXplained [Season 7 premiered on History on October 4 ]. He’s a hero of mine. “Scotty, we need a dilithium crystal!”
Have you ever personally unearthed anything?
Me and Cheech Marin [went] crystal hunting in a Hot Springs, Arkansas, mine. Cheech’s wife found a crystal worth about eight grand. When I found one little one, I sounded like an 8-year-old girl. My voice went up about eight octaves! [Another time] I was doing a film in Mexico, and [I saw] right next to this cathedral, they were uncovering a pyramid!
Mysteries Unearthed With Danny Trejo, Series Premiere, Friday, December 6, 10/9c, History Channel
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