Developed out of a rather unusual circumstance, the action-thriller Machete, from directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, started off as a trailer in the Rodriguez/Tarantino double-feature Grindhouse and, due to demand from fans, has now become a full-length film.
About a renegade former Mexican Federale (Danny Trejo) who roams the cities, towns and streets of Texas looking for work after a shakedown from a drug lord (Steven Seagal), Machete promises a high body count with a cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Jeff Fahey, Don Johnson and Cheech Marin, as Padre Benito del Toro.
While at the press day for Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This, due out on DVD on April 20th and for which we'll have more on later, Cheech Marin talked a bit about his involvement with Machete.
Q: What is your body count in Machete?
Cheech: I don't know yet. I haven't seen the film.
Q: How many do you remember killing?
Cheech: Six or seven.
Q: You talked about wanting to move on to new chapters in your career. Isn't that a new and different side of you?
Cheech: Yeah. Last night, I was at the premiere of The Perfect Game, where I play a very family-oriented priest. Today, I'm talking about Cheech & Chong. Tomorrow, it's Machete. It's all over the place.
Q: You're a priest in Machete too, right?
Cheech: Yeah. I'm the murdering kind of priest, which is somehow the best kind.
Q: Is Machete a full-length film now?
Cheech: Machete was a full trailer in Grindhouse, and the fan base demanded it be a movie. So, there it was. We shot the whole movie. The trailer was just supposed to be a joke.