Danny Trejo Blasts Stars (Tom Cruise) Who Do Their Own Risky Stunts

“Machete” star and all-around Hollywood badass Danny Trejo doesn’t seem like he’s scared of much. But he’s happy to leave stunt work to the stunt professionals.

In a Thursday Facebook Live interview with Yahoo Movies, Trejo criticized stars who do their own stunts, which can have far-reaching consequences when they go wrong — not-so-subtly calling out Tom Cruise, who recently broke his ankle while shooting “Mission: Impossible 6” in London, delaying production for up to eight weeks.

“I know that all the big stars hate me to say this, but I don’t want to risk 80 peoples’ jobs just to say I got big huevos on ‘The Tonight Show,'” Trejo told Yahoo Movies. “Because that’s what happens. I think a big star just sprained an ankle doing a stunt, and 80 or 180 people are out of a job.”

Also Read: Tom Cruise Injury Shuts Down 'Mission: Impossible 6' for Up to 8 Weeks

Instead, Trejo believes stunts should be handled by well-trained stunt professionals, who know the risks — and can be replaced without halting production and leaving hundreds of people scrambling.

“We have stunt people who do that stuff,” Trejo said. “And if they get hurt, I’m sorry to say but they just need to put a mustache on another Mexican and we can keep going. But if I get hurt, everybody’s out of a job. So I don’t choose to do that.”

Trejo’s latest film, “Dead Again in Tombstone,” will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on September 12.

Hollywood's Most Dangerous Job: 12 Stunt Performers Who Died on Set (Photos)

A look back at some of the daring stunt performers who have passed away on set.
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Jose Marco died in 1969 while filming an underwater sequence in the film "Shark." He was mauled to death by one of the sharks, which had been improperly sedated.
Excelsior Pictures Corp.
A.J. Bakunas died in 1978 while filming "Steel." Although he performed his falling stunt correctly, his landing pad was faulty, and he died a day later from injuries.
NBC
Jack Tyree died in 1981 while filming "The Sword and the Sorcerer." While performing an 80-foot fall, Tyree missed the airbag below and died on impact.
Group 1 International Distribution Organization Ltd.
Paolo Rigoni died in 1981 while filming one of the James Bond movies, "For Your Eyes Only." He was pinned under a sled during the ski chase scene.
United Artists
Joseph Leonard Svec died in 1982 on the set of "The Right Stuff." He was knocked unconscious before he was able to eject himself from a plane.
Warner Bros
Chris Lamon died in 2000 in Toronto while performing a stunt for the movie "Exit Wounds." He hit his head when rolling out of an upside-down van and died from his injuries six days later.
Warner Bros
Harry L. O'Connor died in 2002 when performing a stunt for the Vin Diesel movie "XXX." He was a retired Navy Seal who was being pulled on a paraglider that hit a bridge pillar.
Columbia
Lu Yanqing died in 2008 in a fire on set caused by two boats crashing into one another while making the movie "Red Cliff" in China.
Magnet Releasing
Kun Liu died in 2012 in an explosion on the set of "The Expendables 2" while filming in Bulgaria. His parents sued Millenium/Nu Image for wrongful death.
Millennium Films
John Bernecker died in July 2017 after falling from a 25 foot balcony while filming season 8 of "The Walking Dead" on Wednesday.
IMDB
Motorcycle road racer and stunt performer Joi Harris was killed in August 2017 on the Vancouver set of "Deadpool 2" while doubling as Zazie Beetz' Domino during a motorcycle scene in the film that went horribly awry.
Warren Appleby, a stunt coordinator on the DC Universe series "Titans" died in July 2019 after being hit by a piece of equipment that unexpectedly came loose during preparation for a shoot at an offsite special effects facility in Vancouver.