Why is there a mural of actor Danny Trejo in Kensington?

Name one thing Desperado, Spy Kids, and King of the Hill have in common with Philadelphia: 80-year-old actor Danny Trejo’s face is in all of them. For the last two years, Trejo’s visage can be seen on a Kensington mural on the corner of East Tusculum Street and Frankford Avenue.

After walking by the portrait, a reader asked Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions about the city and region: Does Danny Trejo have any significance or connection to Philadelphia? Or is the mural there to pay homage to him?

Trejo, a Los Angeles native, does not appear to have a direct connection to the city, besides the occasional visit. (The Inquirer tried to reach out to Trejo, but his representative said he was booked due to filming.) The decision to portray him on a wall in Kensington has more to do with hope.

Colombian muralist Jose Bustamante was living in the area when two artist friends visited him from Spain. When inspiration struck, the trio headed to a wall Busta, Bustamante’s artistic pseudonym, had permission to paint whenever the urge arose.

Outside towing and collision company Direct Auto, the wall has been a revolving door of artistic concepts for over a decade. But, Trejo’s mural has lasted the longest, Bustamante said.

A Kensington resident for the last five years, the muralist had become acclimated with, but not callous about, the reality of living in the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast. His friends, not so much.

At the time, an encampment of people in active addiction was living by the bridge attached to the wall. Seeing the contrast between the Hispanic families in the area living amid Philadelphia’s drug crisis sparked a conversation about culture, the heroes of their childhood, and the reality of the area.

They all thought of the actor Danny Trejo. Machete, as Bustamante calls him based on the character Trejo played in Spy Kids and his own eponymous film, had not only been an icon of their childhood but was also celebrating 55 years of sobriety.

Trejo has been vocal about his battle with addiction. He smoked marijuana for the first time at 8 years old, began drinking at 12, and used heroin by 14. He was eventually incarcerated for drug dealing — before turning his life around and becoming a prolific actor, with appearances in over 200 films.

“His characters have always been like that person that came from nothing to something. He has that edge of neighborhood, that realness, and he’s always come through as a good guy, even though he could be looked at as a bad guy,” Busta said. “I thought that it could resonate to some people.”

So they started to paint. After 12 hours of work, a soft-eyed, hard-expressioned portrait of Trejo was emblazoned on the wall. Behind Trejo’s face is a dark road illuminated by streetlights as he stares into the real-life streets of Kensington.

“I feel like whoever walks by, in whatever condition, they can look at it and be like ‘Oh, that’s awesome,’” Busta said. “It may take them out from their craziness for a second and, you know, just [let them] appreciate something less negative.”

Despite the admiration, Trejo might not be in Kensington for long.

Bustamante and some of his local artist friends are thinking about refreshing the wall with a new mural by next year. First, they have to figure out how to patch a hole in the wall before they can paint.

Still, the mural won’t be forgotten. Pictures of it live on Bustamante’s Instagram, and the trio reached out to Trejo on social media when the mural was painted to let him know there was a mural with his face in the city.

Although they never heard back, Bustamante said the mural is also a way to say, “Thank you for being such an inspirational figure.”